TOKYO (Interstat) — Hideki Nagaoka’s two-run homer in the third inning carried Yakult to a 2-1 victory over Yokohama on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, at Meiji Jingu Stadium. Nagaoka finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Kengo Matsumoto earned the win, allowing one earned run on eight hits with four strikeouts over five-plus innings. Noboru Shimizu pitched a scoreless ninth with one strikeout for his second save. Hiromi Katayama took the loss, allowing one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts in 5⅓ innings.

Yokohama scored its only run in the sixth when Jerar Encarnacion singled with runners on first and second, driving in one run. The BayStars outhit the Swallows 10-7 but could not complete the comeback. Yakult improved to 50-53-1; Yokohama fell to 47-56-3. Attendance was 28,993, and the game lasted three hours, eight minutes.

In relief, Kosuke Baba (0⅔ innings, one hit, one strikeout), Jose Ruiz (one inning, one hit, one strikeout) and Masumi Hamachi (one scoreless inning) pitched for Yokohama. Tomoya Hoshi (one inning, one hit, one strikeout), Jesus Liranzo (one inning, one hit, one strikeout) and Yuki Ishihara (one scoreless inning) pitched for Yakult.