◆ Pacific League: Rakuten Eagles 4-0 Orix Buffaloes (2nd, Morioka)

Rakuten Eagles won against Orix Buffaloes, marking their second consecutive win.

On the mound, the starter Shoji pitched tenaciously. In the first inning, he faced a crisis with a runner on second and one out, but he remained unfazed. He struck out Kurebayashi and Ota back-to-back to start the game with zero runs. He continued to pitch tenaciously thereafter while allowing runners. He retired batters using a combination of fastballs exceeding 150 km/h and his splitter. He delivered a great performance, allowing zero runs on 7 hits with 11 strike outs over 8 innings, earning his 7th win of the season. Manager Yoshii commented, 'I think he did a good job in the second half. His pitch count piled up in the first half, and at that pace, he would have exceeded 100 pitches by the 5th inning, so even with zero runs, I thought he could do much more given the flow of the game. However, since he worked hard in the second half, I can appreciate that he was able to pitch firmly through the 8th inning.' He then added, 'But that kid is capable of more. I won't praise him,' expressing his desire for further growth precisely because of his high expectations.

The lineup moved the game in the scoreless third inning. With two outs and runners on second and third, YG Yasuda swung compactly at a low inside pitch from Toyama on a 1-2 count and drove it to center field. It was a two-run hit to take the lead. The in-form YG Yasuda broke the deadlock. Furthermore, they pulled away in the fifth inning with a two-run triple by McCusker and secured the win.