The first round of the exhibition game between Yokohama DeNA and Chiba Lotte will be held at Yokohama Stadium from 1:00 p.m. on March 4th.

​Naonori Yasuda of Chiba Chiba Lotte is aiming to be in the starting lineup for the opening starting line-up for the third consecutive year. In a practice game against the Lotte Giants last month, he hit a big home run with a sharp swing. He will be hoping to impress with good results in the exhibition games when he returns to the Kanto region.

If Soto plays in this match, it will be his first time playing at Yokohama Stadium since his transfer. Will he be able to show his skills to the fans of both teams at his former home stadium?

Starting pitcher Shuta Ishikawa commented, "As for fastball, I want to focus on throwing a strong ball while putting in some power. As for breaking ball, each one has a different purpose, so I will keep those purposes in mind and throw each one carefully. As for the issue from my last time on the mound, my throwing didn't feel bad, but it didn't seem like the batters were irritated, so I would like to keep that in mind and make adjustments in various areas while also seeing how the opposing batters react."

Text by Ayako Kikuchi