Chiba Lotte Marines vs Nippon Ham Fighters

Fujiwara wasted no time setting the tone. On a 1-0 cutter from Kohei Arihara, the Marines' leadoff man drove it over the right-field wall into the Home Run Lagoon for his seventh homer of the season — his third leadoff shot of the year and the fifth of his NPB career.

Lotte doubled the lead in the third. Fujiwara crushed a one-out double to centre, and Shiso Nishikawa followed with a single to left that brought him home.

Andre Jackson kept the Fighters hitless through five innings, striking out five. The no-hit bid ended in the sixth when Shun Mizutani chopped an infield single off Jackson's glove. After Mizuno struck out, Franmil Reyes crushed a 2-2 offering into the right-field bleachers for a two-run homer, his 27th of the season, tying the game at 2-2.

The tie lasted one half-inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Arihara allowed a single to Yamaguchi and walked Sato. With two outs, Ryusei Ogawa lined a double down the right-field line, scoring Yamaguchi from second to put the Marines back ahead 3-2.

Yokoyama entered in the ninth with a one-run lead and worked through a tense final frame. Yuya Gunji worked a two-out walk after a Nomura single put the tying run on second, but Yokoyama struck out pinch-hitter Yua Imagawa swinging to seal the win.

It was Yokoyama's 30th save of the season — the fastest any Pacific League pitcher reached that mark in 2026, and the sixth Marines player in franchise history to reach 30 saves in a season.

• Kyota Fujiwara (Marines): 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 2B — the catalyst from the leadoff spot, reaching base three times and scoring twice. Player of the match.
• Andre Jackson (Marines): W (9-7), 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K — held the Fighters hitless through five before the Reyes homer. 101 pitches.
• Franmil Reyes (Fighters): 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI — his 27th homer briefly erased a two-run deficit.
• Rikuto Yokoyama (Marines): S (30), 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K — Pacific League's fastest to 30 saves in 2026.
• Kohei Arihara (Fighters): L (5-7), 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K — battled through six but couldn't hold the Marines after the game was tied.

The Marines out-hit the Fighters 9-5 and put together timely two-out hitting in the decisive sixth. Lotte's bullpen trio of Nakamori, Suzuki and Yokoyama combined for three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, preserving Jackson's quality start. Both defences played error-free ball.

The win lifts Lotte to 3 straight victories and trims their deficit to four games under .500 as they push toward a second-half surge. The Fighters fall to 2 consecutive losses, their 11-game cushion in the win column reduced. Lotte's form since mid-August has shown improved bullpen reliability, with Yokoyama anchoring the back end. The Fighters next face the SoftBank Hawks, while Lotte continue their Pacific League home stand.

A crisp, well-pitched game decided by one swing (Fujiwara's leadoff homer) and one shutdown inning (Yokoyama's 30th save). Lotte executed the small-ball plan around the long ball, while the Fighters ran out of answers after Reyes' equaliser. The bullpen disparity — Lotte's three relievers vs. Arihara's 6-inning solo effort — told the story.