2.4KFukuoka SoftBank Hawks hitter Tomoya Masaki celebrates hitting his fourth home run (Photo: Nikkan Sports)
We’re two weeks into interleague play and, as usual, the Pacific League is in control with a 38-27 record overall.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are closing in on back-to-back interleague titles, leading the standings with a 10-2 record. The Saitama Seibu Lions and Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters remain within striking distance at 8-2-1 and 8-3, respectively, while the Hiroshima Carp and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles sit at the bottom.
Let’s recap the most recent action across Nippon Professional Baseball!
Tuesday (6/2)
Trey Cabbage’s go-ahead shot
Ryosuke Ohtsu (Hawks) took a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished a one-hit complete game shutout against the Dragons.
Andre Jackson (Marines) threw seven scoreless innings on 132 pitches in a 5-0 win versus the Swallows.
Trey Cabbage (Giants) belted his 10th homer of the year in a 3-2 win against the Buffaloes.
Wednesday (6/3)
Yoshihiro Maru’s clutch grand slam
Yoshihiro Maru (Giants) delivered a pinch-hit go-ahead grand slam in the eighth to top the Buffaloes, 5-4.
Teruaki Sato (Tigers) smashed his 15th homer in a 3-2 loss to the Lions.
Thursday (6/4)
Hanshin vs. Seibu Highlights
Ryoya Kurihara (Hawks) extended his NPB lead with his 17th homer in a 2-1 win over the Dragons.
Kazuya Ojima (Marines) allowed just one run across seven frames to help beat the Swallows, 5-2.
Yuki Nishi (Tigers) registered his 1,500th career strikeout in a 4-2 loss to the Lions.
Kaima Taira (Lions) threw seven innings of one-run ball to maintain a 0.75 ERA on the season.
The BayStars overcame a late 7-0 deficit to walk off the Eagles, 8-7.
Neftali Soto (Marines) crushed his 200th career home run in an 8-2 loss to the Giants.
Shugo Maki (BayStars) homered in his first game back from injury in an 8-3 win versus the Hawks.
Ren Fukushima (Fighters) struck out 10 batters over seven innings in a 3-1 win over the Swallows.
Saturday (6/6)
Yugo Maeda’s impressive outing
Yugo Maeda (Hawks) punched out seven batters in five innings with one run allowed in a 6-3 victory against the BayStars.
Tyler Nevin (Lions) blasted his 11th dinger in a 5-2 win over the Dragons.
Shoki Murakami (Tigers) put up six scoreless frames in a 1-0 win against the Eagles.
Sunday (6/7)
Shuto Ogata’s revenge game
Franmil Reyes (Fighters) homered for the third time in four games in a 7-1 win against the Swallows. Koki Kitayama threw a complete game, contributing to a four-game win streak.
Shuto Ogata (BayStars) struck out 7 batters over 5 innings against his former team
Alan Winans (Lions) tossed seven innings of one-hit ball in a 4-1 win over the Dragons. Hiroshi Kaino registered his 100th career hold.
Interleague standings as of June 7 (Source: NPB on Reddit)
