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The 2019 NPB season just concluded its interleague portion of the schedule with June coming to a close. A proper shuffle takes place with some teams taking a rise, while others fall. It was another year where the Pacific League won the head-to-head battle, so we'll factor this in accordingly for this month's edition.
1. [^] (6) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (41-30-4, 14-7-2 in June)
The defending NPB champions won Interleague once again for the third time in four years. No Yuki Yanagita? No problem! They've had ups and downs offensively, but the supporting case seems to be doing fine without him. Defensive stalwarts Takuya Kai and Kenta Imamiya are both having decent years at the plate while Rei Takahashi and Kotaro Otake are proving to be solid support behind Kodai Senga in the rotation. Is the sky the limit for this Hawks team, looking to go for a three-peat? Nobuhiro Matsuda is still hitting well too while the rich get richer having Carter Stewart enter their system.
Lastly, a big welcome back goes to Tsuyoshi Wada, who returned to the ichi-gun from an injury for the first time since 2017.
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2. [^] (7) Yomiuri Giants (40-30-1, 15-7 in June)
A cold May was followed by a red hot June and a decent position in Interleague play. They're back in first place, but the Hiroshima Carp are still not far behind. Not every player they signed is living up to the hype, but Yoshihiro Maru and Dai-Kan Yoh definitely are as veterans. Time will tell if this 18-game stretch was fluky or for real when they see the Carp.
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3. [^] (4) Rakuten Eagles (39-32-2, 12-9-1 in June)
The Eagles continue to play well through the first half like it's 2017 again. Takahiro Norimoto shoudl be ready to go for the second half of the season while Takayuki Kishi is healthy. This group is very dependent on four guys for their offense and the pitching has done enough to get things done. Yuki Matsui appears to be continuing his trend in having a good year following a bad one.
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4. [^] (9) Yokohama DeNA Baystars (35-36-2, 13-8-2 in June)
The Baystars were the only other team with a winning record in interleague play. This group is still home run dependent, but the starting pitching is beginning to come around. They have to like the value they're getting out of rookie Taiga Kamichatani while Shota Imanaga continues a dominant season.
They looked dead in the water after April, but they've climbed hump to put themselves in the hunt for postseason baseball. Alex Ramirez's job has been on the line since the start of the year.
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5. [=] Saitama Seibu Lions (38-34-1, 12-11 in June)
The Lions survive interleague play by not taking any big steps backward. Offense is still there and they're not doing it with just home runs from Hotaka Yamakawa and Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura because there is balance. Pitching remains raw and they're still competing without opening day starter Shinsaburo Tawata.
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6. [v] (1) Hiroshima Carp (38-34-3, 6-15-2 in June)
The Catp take the largest fall after a nearly invincible May. They finished with the second worst interleague record as the Pacific League ate them alive. Their biggest positive is having Kris Johnson look strong while Makoto Aduwa has continued to eat innings. Daichi Osera is still the dominant ace continuing his form from last year.
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7. [^] (11) Orix Buffaloes (31-38-5, 12-9-2 in June)
No one benefited better in interleague play than the last-place Buffaloes, as they were only 4.5 games out of A-class when the 18-game stretch ended. Their pitching has shown they can compete, but will the self-inflicting mistakes stop? There are still offensive holes in the lineup, but Keita Nakagawa is a big reason they get credit for a good June.
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8. [=] Chiba Lotte Marines (34-36-2, 11-10-1 in June)
The Marines didn't fall backward, but they couldn't gain ground during Interleague play by having a losing record at 8-10. As much as Brandon Laird has improved their offense, the pitching is not where it needs to be if they want to be in A-class. Portions of their Core-4 in Shogo Nakamura and Ayumu Ishikawa have underachieved whether it's performance or injury related.
It's been a strange year where one obvious hole from 2018 looks fixed, yet they're just a bubble team with regression from their arms on the staff.
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9. [v] (2) Hanshin Tigers (35-36-4, 7-13-2 in June)
Like the Carp, the Tigers were sent back to earth by the Pacific League and even lost a series to their Kansai neighbors. Defense on the field has hurt their pitching staff and it doesn't show in the boxscore. Bullpen has given fans a scare, but they've continued to get it done ugly. These Tigers appears to be streaky, but the pitching will keep them competitive. It should be a good dog fight in their hunt for A-class under first-year skipper Yano.
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10. [v] (3) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (35-36-4, 9-12-2 in June)
The Fighters are still in the hunt, but their pitching staff took a blow when an accidental play took Naoyuki Uwasawa out for the season. Pitching will have to work as a team if they want to return to A-class, but this will be an uphill battle. Recently, they reacquired Mitsuo Yoshikawa from the Yomiuri Giants in a trade. It's possible he could eat up some innings so the team won't need to bullpen their way through games. They've had openers and short starts while being innovative, but it hasn't led to much success so far.
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11. [v] (10) Chunichi Dragons (33-39, 10-12 in June)
The Dragons rotation appears like it can't hold up outside of Yudai Ono and Yuya Yanagi carrying the load. Their bullpen is still a liability while they're inconsistent on offense. This is still a learning season for first-year skipper Tsuyoshi Yoda with several kids being thrown in while veterans like Daisuke Yamai will still get appearances.
On paper, this the making of a last place squad, yet they're 2.5 games out of A-class. Right now, it's tough to take them seriously. We'll revisit this in a month to see what happens next.
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12. [=] Tokyo Yakult Swallows (28-46-2, 7-15 in June)
Interleague play should have all-but sealed the 2019 Swallows season. At 18 games under .500, it's too much of a mountain to overcome. Pitching, defense and a lack of timely hitting are all hurting this team, but there is one thing they can cling to: The power hitting success of 19-year old 2017 first round pick Munetaka Murakami. He'll be keeping this team interesting while the wins and losses will come and go.
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Overall:
A-class races are interesting while both pennants are not runaways yet. Only one team is all but dead while everyone else is still competing. We should see another team fall to the pits and join the Swallows soon. If anything, the Baystars getting hot combined with the Hanshin Tigers falling makes the race interesting in the Central.
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