OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a two-run home run in the first inning and the Nippon-Ham Fighters defeated the Orix Buffaloes 5-1 on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Osaka Dome. Kiyomiya’s blast to right field gave the Fighters a 2-0 lead. Orix answered in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Ryoma Yamanaka, but Nippon-Ham added three runs in the third inning. Yuki Nomura singled home a run and Tatsuki Mizuno doubled to right with the bases loaded, scoring two. Sachiya Yamasaki earned the win, pitching five innings and allowing one earned run on three hits. He improved to 3-0. Taito Takashima took the loss, falling to 4-2. Five Nippon-Ham relievers combined for four scoreless innings, including Taisuke Yamaoka, Kaito Iriyama, Seigi Tanaka, Kenta Uehara, Mizuki Hori and Taisei Yanagawa. The Fighters outhit the Buffaloes 11-4 and Orix grounded into two double plays. Attendance was 36,126. The game lasted 3 hours, 2 minutes. Nippon-Ham improved to 51-40, while Orix fell to 42-43-1.