YOKOHAMA (Interstat) — The Chunichi Dragons will visit the Yokohama BayStars on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. The forecast at game time calls for 74 degrees. Chunichi enters at 59-76-2. Yokohama is 66-66-3. The game is the first of a two-game series.

Chunichi’s Hiroto Takahashi is a player to watch. He is coming off a 10-0 win over Hiroshima on Sept. 21, when he pitched seven innings, allowed four hits and no earned runs, and struck out eight. He also went 1 for 2. On Sept. 13 at Hanshin, Takahashi threw nine innings, allowed four hits and no earned runs, walked two and struck out 12 in a 1-0 win. He pitched six innings at Yakult on Sept. 4, allowing six hits, one earned run and three walks with four strikeouts in a 1-1 tie. On Aug. 28 at Yokohama, he worked seven-plus innings, gave up one hit and one earned run, walked one and struck out eight in a 4-2 loss.

Yokohama’s Kentaro Taira is a player to watch. He last pitched Sept. 21 at Hanshin, going five innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings. On Sept. 14 against Yomiuri, Taira pitched five innings, allowed eight hits and two earned runs, walked three and struck out three in a 4-3 win.

The BayStars have won the past three meetings, all at home: 4-3 on Aug. 30, 1-0 on Aug. 29 and 4-2 on Aug. 28. Chunichi had won the previous series at home Aug. 11-13, taking the opener 5-2 before Yokohama won the next two. Chunichi won two of three at home July 24-26. Chunichi also won the July 9 meeting 4-3.

Chunichi’s most recent game was a 10-0 home win over Hiroshima on Sept. 21. Kaito Muramatsu went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Haruki Miyauchi pitched one inning with no hits, no earned runs and three strikeouts. Yokohama’s most recent game was a 3-2, 11-inning loss at Hanshin on Sept. 21. Naoki Wakamatsu pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and Teruki Yoshino allowed one hit over a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday at Yokohama Stadium. Chunichi will then visit Tokyo Yakult on Sept. 25, while Yokohama will host Hanshin on Sept. 25.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Chunichi Dragons 4, Yokohama BayStars 8. Interstat’s ELO system gives Yokohama a 58.8 percent probability to win.