SoftBank Loses to Nippon-Ham After Defensive Mistake
Listen to the story
The SoftBank Hawks lost a baseball game after giving up a lead to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
A defensive error by SoftBank proved to be very costly, as it helped the Fighters come back and win.
SoftBank starter Moineló was pitching in his fourth start of the season. This game ended in his first loss this season.
For the Fighters, Castro delivered a timely hit that helped his team take the lead.
With this win, the Fighters have now won 15 more games than they have lost. This is the biggest gap between wins and losses for the team this season.
Fighters pitcher Yamazaki Fukuya pitched well, throwing seven innings and allowing only one run.
Imagawa Yuma also contributed to the win, hitting his fourth home run of the season.
The result adds pressure on SoftBank, whose defense let them down at a key moment in the game.
Meanwhile, the win keeps the Fighters strong in their standings this season.
Vocabulary10 words
- defensive
- related to stopping the other team from scoring
- starter
- the player who begins the game as pitcher
- timely
- happening at exactly the right, useful moment
- innings
- the periods of play in a baseball game
- run
- a point scored in baseball
- home run
- a powerful hit that scores a point immediately
- standings
- the list showing how teams rank in a league
- comeback
- when a losing team starts winning again
- costly
- causing a bad result
- contributed
- helped make something happen
Quiz
Answer key
1. A defensive error 2. Seven 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The SoftBank Hawks lost a baseball game after giving up a _____ to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
A defensive _____ by SoftBank proved to be very costly.
SoftBank starter Moineló was pitching in his fourth _____ of the season.
This game ended in his first _____ this season.
For the Fighters, Castro delivered a _____ hit that helped his team take the lead.
The Fighters have now won 15 more games than they have _____.
Fighters pitcher Yamazaki Fukuya pitched seven _____ and allowed only one run.
Imagawa Yuma also contributed, hitting his fourth _____ of the season.
The result adds pressure on SoftBank, whose _____ let them down at a key moment.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think defensive mistakes can be so costly in baseball?
- How important is a starting pitcher's performance to a team's success?
- What do you think it feels like for a pitcher to get his first loss of the season?
- Why might a team's win-loss record matter during a long season?