◇ Orix Buffaloes vs. Hanshin Tigers "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" Game 1 (June 12, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes Ryoma Nishikawa player, Kotaro Kobayashi The players hit back-to-back Home Run.

In the bottom of the first inning, with one out and no runner on base, Nishikawa stepped up to the plate and connected with a fastball down the middle thrown by opposing starting pitcher Shoki Murakami. His confident hit landed in the upper deck of the right field stands, giving his team the lead with his second home run of the season.

Next up was Kurebayashi, who swung at breaking ball on a 1-1 count, sending the ball into the upper deck of the left field stands. His 8th solo home run added a second run. He capitalized on the early innings of ERA Murakami, who is in excellent form with the second-best pitcher in the league and tied for third-best win (statistics as of before the game).

◇Comment from Nishikawa
"He's a good pitcher, so I went for it aggressively from the first pitch. I'm glad we were able to score first. I'll keep doing my best."

◇Comment from Kurebayashi
"I think I was able to hit breaking ball well. (Ryoma) Nishikawa had already hit one, so I was able to step up to the plate with a good feeling!"

Written by Aoi Nishijima