Orix Buffaloes win first Tokyo Dome hosted game in 17 years

The Orix Buffaloes secured a 9-6 walk-off victory against the Rakuten Eagles in their first hosted game at Tokyo Dome in 17 years. The match served as the opening for the "Bs Natsu no Jin 2026" summer event series.

Key highlights of the event included a special first pitch by Joichiro Fujiwara of the idol group Naniwa Danshi, an enthusiastic fan of the team. Fujiwara received training from pitcher Soichiro Yamazaki to improve his pitch speed. The game featured home runs from Kotaro Kuribayashi, Ryoto Kida, and Yuma So, with Kida delivering a decisive three-run homer in the ninth inning to overturn a five-run deficit.