Through 36 games, the Yomiuri Giants hold an 18-18 record, tied for a .500 winning percentage and sitting in third place in the Central League. They trail the league-leading Yakult Swallows by 4.5 games and the second-place Hanshin Tigers by 3.5 games.
With just 10 games remaining before the interleague season begins, the Giants are set to play a two-game home series against the Hiroshima Carp in Gifu and Fukui on May 12-13. They will then return to Tokyo Dome for a three-game set against the DeNA BayStars starting May 15. On May 19, they travel to Iwaki, Fukushima for a road game against the Swallows, followed by a day off on May 20 and a game at Jingu Stadium on May 21. The final series before interleague play will be a three-game home stand against the Tigers at Tokyo Dome starting May 22.
The Giants have entered interleague play with a surplus of wins (savings) for two consecutive years—carrying a +2 margin in 2023 and a +4 margin last year. The team is aiming for a third straight year with a positive record heading into interleague action. Both this week and next feature five-game schedules with no six-game stretches, so the Giants are focused on winning each game to maximize their win surplus.
For the May 12 game in Gifu, the Giants will start Shosei Togo, while Hiroshima counters with Masato Morita. In Fukui on May 13, Yomiuri is expected to send Takahiro Norimoto to the mound, with Hiroshima’s Takuya Tamamura likely opposing.
