Softbank Hawks Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo (54) revealed on the 31st his plan to rotate the starting pitchers every five days from the start of the season. "Six days of rest is not the norm. I've told them to be prepared for that," he said, indicating that he has already communicated the plan to the pitcher. The team will go full throttle from the start of the season in their quest for their first three consecutive league championships since relocating to Fukuoka.

With the departure of Arihara, who won the most wins for two consecutive years, the starting rotation for 2026 remains undecided. That's why they're going to fight without showing any weaknesses. "For now, this is just a simulation until around the end of the interleague games, but it will increase the number of times good pitcher take the mound," he said, explaining the advantages of pitching every five days, which only happened once in the first half of 2025 with Ozeki. "We'll have them pitch for a month, throwing around 100 pitches," he added, indicating his intention to shorten the intervals between appearances while limiting the number of pitches.

"You can't be afraid of worries in order to evolve," he said, and the theme for his second consecutive year of winning the No. 1 spot is "breaking it down." 2013 was a tough start, finishing last in April, but in 2014, he aims to take the lead and make a run for victory from the start. (Shimao Koichiro)