OSAKA (Interstat) — Kenta Maeda pitched six innings of three-hit ball as the Rakuten Golden Eagles defeated the Orix Buffaloes 12-4 on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at Osaka Dome.

Rakuten took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then broke the game open with nine runs in the third. Carson McCusker finished 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Yuma Yasuda and Fumiya Kurokawa each drove in two runs, and Rui Muneyama had one RBI. Rakuten added single runs in the sixth and ninth innings.

Maeda allowed three hits, no earned runs and struck out seven to improve to 4-4. Sean Hjelle took the loss for Orix, falling to 3-8.

Rakuten collected 15 hits, while Orix had nine. The Buffaloes scored two runs in the sixth and two in the eighth. Rakuten grounded into two double plays.

Attendance was 23,690. Game time was 3:26. Rakuten improved to 45-68-1, while Orix fell to 56-59-2.