Seibu's Walker homers, Tajima wins

In NPB, this was one of those days where two different kinds of momentum showed up at once. Seibu got noise from the bat rack. Orix got quiet from the mound. And in early May, when standings are still tight but trends are starting to harden, both matter. (c.npb.jp) ### What actually happened with Orix? Orix beat Chiba Lotte 6-1 on May 5, and the game turned on Dai(c.npb.jp)m a mid-rotation lefty — getting through 6 scoreless innings without drama. He allowed 4 hits, kept Lotte off the board while he was in, and picked up his first win of the 2026 season. The result also stopped a three-game slide for Orix. (baseballking.jp)s line matter? Because “first win” can hide whether a pitcher actually looked right. Tajima’s outing wasn’t a cheap win behind a slugfest from the first inning. It was a clean stabilizing start — 6 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits allowed — the kind that resets a staff after a rough patch. For a team sitting on top of the Pacific League, that’s the difference between a wobble and a skid. (c.npb. ([baseballking.jp)es Orix stand now? Orix entered May 5 at 20-12, first in the Pacific League, 2.5 games ahead of SoftBank. So this wasn’t a desperate team trying to climb out of the basement. It was a first-place club trying to keep a brief losing streak from turning into something sticky. Tajima’s start did that job. Basically, he gave Orix the kind of game that lets a good team keep acting like a good team. (c.npb. ([c.npb.jp)at about Seibu’s side of the story? The Seibu angle is different. The team has been hunting for consistent offense, so any burst of home-run power stands out more than it would on a lineup already rolling. That’s why the Walker mention traveled online — not just because of the homers themselves, but because Seibu has spent much of the opening stretch leaning on pitching and waiting for the bats to catch up. (baseballking.jp) ### Why is Seibu still a wait-and-see team? Even after a strong 10-0 win over Lotte on May 1 and another series win on May 2, Seibu’s record sat in the middle of the Pacific League pack entering May 5. Baseball King had the Lions at 16-16-1 through May 5, while NPB’s standings for May 5 showed them at 16-17-1 the next day — basically a.500-ish team still trying to prove its offense is real over more than a few games. (baseballking.jp) ### So is this about stars or team shape? More team shape. Tajima’s outing matters because it fits Orix’s identity — steady pitching, enough offense, protect first place. The Walker buzz matters because it points at Seibu’s open question — can the Lions turn isolated power flashes into a dependable attack? One team is defending a lead. The other is trying to become less fragile. (c.npb.jp)ecause baseball clips travel fastest when they tell a simple story. Back-to-back homers are obvious. Six scoreless innings after a skid are obvious too, just in a quieter way. One is a highlight. The other is a correction. Fans can feel both immediately. That’s why these performances landed as momentum markers, not just box-score notes. (baseballking.jp)ncrete boost — a 6-1 win and Tajima’s first victory. Seibu got a reminder that one hot bat can change the mood, but not the standings by itself. In early May, that’s the split: Orix looks like a team holding form, and Seibu still looks like a team searching for one. (c.npb.jp)