On August 22, starting at 18:00, the 18th round match between Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Saitama Seibu Lions will be held at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi.

[Head-to-head Record] Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (6th) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd) 7 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw

[Announced Starting Lineup]
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: Takahisa Hayakawa pitcher 16 games, 6 wins, 5 losses, ERA 2.78
Saitama Seibu Lions: Chihiro Sumida pitcher 18 games, 7 wins, 6 losses, ERA 2.48

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles 's starter Takahisa Hayakawa pitcher has recorded HQS in his last two games, currently on a two-game winning streak. Although he hasn't recorded a win against Saitama Seibu Lions this season, he has pitched well with 4 inning runs in 15 innings over two games. Also, in fielder, Hikaru Ota, who formed a battery with pitcher Hayakawa, delivered a Home Run on the 18th, and Kengo Horiuchi has played in three consecutive matches hit, and YG Yasuda is also in great form, so attention should be paid to the use of the catcher lineup.

On the other hand, Saitama Seibu Lions started with Chihiro Sumida pitcher aiming for their first win since July 12. In August, they pitched 1 runs in 7 innings in both games, but lacked support and the wins were far from the point. The day before, they brought in 9 pitcher of the relievers, including a winning pattern. To reduce the burden, they want to pitch as long inning as possible.

Text by Minagi Niwa