It was decided on the 7th that Orix Buffaloes pitcher Leo Yamaguchi (20) will join the first team starting from the 8th. He is a second-year right-hander out of high school whose weapon is a powerful fastball reaching a maximum of 153 km/h. He is expected to start during the five-game series beginning with the Seibu Lions game (Kyocera Dome) on the same day.

In the first team, he pitched in two away games. In the game against the Softbank Hawks on July 23 (Mizuho PayPay), he left the mound in the middle of the fifth inning after giving up 3 runs. After being removed from the active roster the following day on the 24th, he made four starts in the farm league. He cleared the 100-pitch mark twice, overcoming his previous issue with stamina. With 18 games remaining, the team is 11.5 games behind third-place Nippon-Ham, who are within the CS playoff range. The 193cm, 20-year-old right-hander hopes to experience high-pressure situations and secure his first professional win at his home stadium for the first time.