Chunichi Dragons and Giants gear up for second half of Japanese baseball season

The Chunichi Dragons ended the first half of the season at the bottom of the Central League with a 38‑55‑1 record, but in July they posted a 12‑10 record, marking the first month with a winning record since new manager Ichiro Inoue took over. The team leads the league with 74 home runs and posted the fewest errors (38). Players such as Seiya Hosokawa, Miguel Sano, Shota Morishita and Koki Sato contributed to the team’s power surge.

Meanwhile, the Yomiuri Giants aim to start the second half strongly at the Tokyo Dome against the DeNA BayStars. Rookie outfielder Izumikuchi has hit .500 in his first two opening‑season games against DeNA and holds a career .300+ average in these match‑ups. The Giants will look to capitalize on this form as they seek to maintain their league‑lead position.