The starting pitchers are Hiromi Ito and Ryosuke Otsu, who are competing for the most wins. Will Hokkaido Nippon-Ham get their first win of the season against the Hawks?
Pacific League Insight
June 18, 2026 18:01
On June 19th at 18:00, a ninth-round match between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Fukuoka Softbank will be held on ES CON FIELD.
[Head-to-head Record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (4th place) vs Fukuoka Softbank (2nd place) 0 wins, 8 losses
[Announced Starting Lineup]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Hiromi Ito pitcher 12 matches, 7 wins (tied for 1st), 3 losses, ERA 2.77
Fukuoka Softbank: Ryosuke Otsu pitcher 10 games, 7 wins (tied for 1st), 1 loss, ERA 1.43 (3rd)
Both teams finished the ‘Nippon Life Central and Pacific League Interleague 2026’ with a record of 14 wins and 4 losses. So far, Fukuoka Softbank has dominated the series with eight consecutive wins since the start of the season.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham started Hiromi Ito pitcher. In their March and April matchups, they gave up multiple home runs in both games and struggled with over 5 runs pitch. In May, he won 4 of 4 games and was named Monthly MVP, and in interleague play, he is regaining his original pitch with two complete game win. Can he lead the team to their first win of the season against the Hawks?
Fukuoka Softbank was Home Run with Kensuke Kondo player pitcher Ito firing two shots. In interleague play, he posted a strong .328 batting average with 4 Home Run 12 RBI, leading the lineup. Ryosuke Otsu pitcher, who are competing with pitcher Ito for the league’s most wins, want to give us another run run tonight.
Text by Minagi Niwa
AloJapan.com