◆Pacific League: Orix Buffaloes 7X-6 Lotte = 10th extra inning = (5th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Lotte suffered a walk-off loss to the Orix Buffaloes in the 10th extra inning, marking their second consecutive defeat. With 53 wins, 62 losses, and 3 draws in 118 games this season, they are now 9 games below .500, tying their worst record of the season.

In the 9th inning with a 6-5 one-run lead, closer Yokoyama took the mound. Attempting to close out the game, he faced a crisis with two outs and runners on first and second after a right-field hit by Mune, then gave up a timely hit to Nakagawa to tie the score, sending the game into extra innings. In the 10th extra inning, the sixth pitcher Ono was caught, resulting in the humiliation of their sixth walk-off loss of the season.

After the game, Manager Saburo commented on Yokoyama's blown save. 'He's being targeted, isn't he? Since he only has fastballs, that might be something he needs to think about moving forward. If he wants to become a true closer, he absolutely must increase his strike out rate. Even with that fastball, he's getting hit hard. When they target him, the opponents are pros too, so it's not that easy. He needs to think about how to evade them or how to overpower them,' he said, calling for ingenuity to better utilize his outstanding fastball. He also added, 'However, as you can see from his stats, he is a pitcher with 31 saves. I think there are a few failures a year, but I want him to reduce them even further.'