Rakuten Eagles defeat Lotte Marines behind Shoji shutout

In Pacific League action, the Rakuten Eagles defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-1. Rakuten pitcher Kossei Shoji earned his eighth win of the season with a professional career-first complete game shutout, allowing no runs over nine innings.

Offensively, Rakuten's YG Yasuda recorded multiple hits in his first appearance as the team's cleanup hitter. Yasuda, who has seen a significant batting average increase this season, contributed to a four-run first inning alongside hits from Carson McCullers and YG Yasuda.

For the Marines, rookie Genki Ishigaki made his professional debut, pitching one scoreless inning with one strikeout and one walk, reaching a maximum velocity of 153 km/h.