On August 23rd at 4 PM, the 19th game 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 place) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place): 7 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: pitcher Tatsuki Koja, 15 games, 1 win, 9 losses, ERA 3.56
Saitama Seibu Lions: Natsuki Takeuchi pitcher 18 games, 9 wins, 6 losses, ERA 2.88

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles 's starting pitcher will be Tatsuki Koja. He has started three games so far this month, pitching a total of 18 inning and allowing only 8 runs (3 earned runs), with ERA of 1.50, showing he is in good form. He hasn't been blessed with much run support and has had more losses than wins so far, but he will be hoping to pitch well in this game as well and secure his first win since the game against Fukuoka Softbank on May 16th. Keep an eye on Daisuke Nakashima, who has maintained his good form so far in August with 27 At Bat 77 hit, including 4 Home Run, for a batting average of .351.

On the opposing side, Saitama Seibu Lions will start pitcher Natsuki Takeuchi. In his previous start (on the 16th against Chiba Lotte Marines), he delivered a strong performance, pitching 6.2 innings, throwing 97 pitches, strike out only 3 hit 2 Walk, striking out 5, and giving up no runs, earning his 9th win of the season. In this game, he will be looking to pitch as many inning as possible and reach double-digit win for the first time in two years since winning Rookie of the Year in 2024.

Written by Aoi Nishijima