On the 7th, Softbank Hawks held a welcome party at a hotel in Fukuoka City for the new players selected in this fall's draft. CBO Kenji Jojima gave the opening address, wearing traditional Japanese clothing. "Do you know the story of the hare and the turtle? The hare is fast, but he gets lazy and is overtaken by the turtle, who works steadily. But in our organization, even the hare puts in effort. That's the kind of organization we are, so I want you all to keep working hard and not waste your talents," he said, encouraging the players.

Manager Hiroki Kokubo gave a golden word in his toast: "The biggest mistake you must make is setting goals. If you set goals that are out of reach, you won't achieve them, and if you set goals that are too low, you won't make progress. With the help of the manager and coordinators, set goals that you can reach if you stretch yourself, and live each day to the fullest."