Chiba Lotte Marines vs Fukuoka S. Hawks

Yoshikawa walked Kondo, Kurihara and Yanagita consecutively to force in the game's first run. Makihara Daito followed with an infield single through the left side that scored Kurihara. With the bases still loaded, Hirose Ryuta ripped a 3-run double to left-centre, clearing the bases and making it 5-0 before most fans had settled in.

Yoshikawa faced seven batters before recording the first out and threw 39 pitches in the inning alone.

After two scoreless frames from Moinelo, SoftBank padded the lead in the 4th. Shuto Ukyo drew a leadoff walk and Kondo reached on a force out, but Kurihara Ryoya crushed a 2-run double with two outs, extending the gap to 7-0 and ending Yoshikawa's night after four innings.

Kondo Keita doubled to lead off the ninth, and after Kawahara Reiya ran for him, Nakamura Akira drove him in with a groundout. Makihara scored later on a fielder's choice to complete the 9-0 rout.

Yoshikawa's inability to find the strike zone in the first inning was decisive. After Shuto singled and was sacrificed to second, Yoshikawa walked Kondo, Kurihara and Yanagita in succession — the first two on full counts — forcing home the opening run. When Makihara followed with an RBI infield single, the game already felt one-sided. Hirose's 3-run double two batters later was the knockout blow.

Moinelo was dominant from start to finish. The Cuban left-hander (now 3-0 in 2026) needed 115 pitches to complete nine innings, surrendering just three singles, walking two and striking out nine. He lowered his ERA to a minuscule 0.43. Only one Marine reached second base all night.

Yoshikawa (0-2) was battered for seven earned runs on five hits and six walks over four innings, pushing his season ERA to 10.00.

Takano Shu pitched three scoreless innings of relief for Lotte, striking out three, and Masuda Riki added a clean eighth.

SoftBank Hawks:

• Ukyo Shuto: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB — reached base four times as the table-setter
• Makihara Daito: 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI — the infield single that started the floodgates
• Kurihara Ryoya: 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB — two-run double in the 4th
• Hirose Ryuta: 1-for-4, 3 RBI — the decisive bases-clearing double
• Kondo Keita: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Lotte Marines:

• The Marines managed only three hits: Nishikawa Taiga doubled in the 4th, Sato Toshiya singled in the 7th, and Terachi Shinnosuke singled in the 8th
• Soto Neftali drew a ninth-inning walk but was stranded

• Game Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes
• SoftBank walks: 9 (drawn) — Yoshikawa alone issued 6
• Strikeouts: Moinelo 9, SoftBank staff 0
• Home Runs: None — all scoring came via doubles and singles

The Hawks (70-41-2, .631) solidified their hold on first place in the Pacific League, having won 9 of their last 11 meetings with Lotte this season. The Marines (53-60, .469) fell further back in fifth place, now 18 games behind the league leaders.

Next up: The teams reconvene at ZOZO Marine on Wednesday 26 August for the second game of this series (18:00 JST).

Livan Moinelo (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) — 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 2 BB. Complete-game shutout on 115 pitches, reducing his season ERA to 0.43. The Platinum Glove candidate was never threatened after the 5-run cushion.

This was a contest decided before most innings were complete. Moinelo's complete-game gem was the headline, but Yoshikawa's implosion in the first — three consecutive walks forcing in a run — set a tone the Marines never recovered from. SoftBank's offence didn't need to be explosive; it merely needed to be patient against a pitcher who couldn't find the zone.