[Orix Buffaloes] First loss at Kyocera Dome since opening day… Manager Mamoru Kishida: “Sometimes you just get beaten.” He didn’t blame Mukunoki for giving up 3 runs in the 8th inning. The pitching changes in the later innings went according to plan.
Sports Hochi
April 28, 2026 21:47
◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 1-7 Softbank Hawks (28th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)
Orix Buffaloes missed out on their first five-game winning streak of the season, and the gap with second-place Softbank Hawks has narrowed to 1.5 games. Their winning streak at Kyocera Dome Osaka also came to an end at 11 games. Manager Mamoru Kishida did not blame the relief pitchers, saying, “There are times when you just can’t keep up.” In the seventh inning, with a one-run lead, second pitcher Yamazaki gave up the tying run, and in the eighth inning, Mukunoki, who had been runs in 10 consecutive games since the start of the season, gave up three runs. “They’ve been working hard up until now, so we’ll just have to switch gears and do better tomorrow,” he emphasized.
Starting pitcher Jerry, aiming for his first win in Japan, threw 85 pitches over six runs innings before being replaced. “I went with my winning strategy,” he said, trying to hold onto the lead, but on this day, it didn’t go as planned. “In the end, it was a big win, but it was the kind of game where anything can happen. We’ll keep working together as a team,” he said, looking ahead.
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