The ninth game between Saitama Seibu and Orix will be held at Belluna Dome from 2:00 p.m. on May 18th.
[Match results] Saitama Seibu (2nd place) vs. Orix (3rd place) 6 wins, 2 losses
[Scheduled starting pitchers]
Saitama Seibu: pitcher Chihiro Sumida 6 games, 5 wins (tied for 1st place), 1 loss, ERA 0.98 (2nd place)
Orix: Ryuhei Sotani pitcher 6 games, 3 wins, 2 losses, ERA 2.31
Saitama Seibu should keep an eye on Takuya Hiruma. Although he started the season in the second team, Hiruma made his presence felt in the farm team with a batting average of .437 in the last four games and three consecutive RBI, and joined the first team on the 17th. After being promoted, he was immediately used starting line-up in the previous game, and recorded his first hit of the season in his first at-bat. He will be hoping to make more of an impact from here and get more opportunities to play.
Orix ‘s starting pitcher will be Ryuhei Sotani. In their last match against Saitama Seibu (April 16th), they gave up 9 hit and 3 runs in 5 innings, which was a disappointing result, so they will be hoping to pitch well in this match. As for the batting lineup, attention will be focused on Keita Nakagawa, who had 2 hit in the first game of this match. Will he be able to show off his competitive spirit, one of his strengths, and hit the ball that will lead his team to win?
Written by Aoi Nishijima
・ Pacific League standings /individual results
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