Orix announced that singer Leon Niihama will perform the national anthem at the pre-game ceremony for the game against Nippon-Ham on September 5th (Kyocera Dome Osaka).
Niihama is 29 years old, born on May 11, 1996. He debuted in 2019 and won the New Artist Award at the 61st Japan Record Awards that same year. In 2020, he won the Best Enka/Pop Song New Artist category at the 34th Japan Gold Disc Awards. In 2023, he won the Pop Song Award at the 15th CD Shop Awards 2023. Last year, he made his first appearance on the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, further expanding his horizons. He devoted himself to baseball from elementary school through high school, and his dream was to become a professional baseball player.
Through the team, Niihama commented, "I am truly honored to have the opportunity to sing the national anthem again this year, as I did regular season. I will never forget the excitement I felt last year, when I performed under incredible tension. I myself played baseball seriously until high school, dreaming of going to Koshien and professional baseball, so I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to sing the national anthem at an official NPB game. I will sing the national anthem with a feeling of respect for professional baseball. Let's all enjoy the game between Orix The Buffaloes and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters."
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