On the 6th, Nippon-Ham pitcher (33) welcomed the addition of pitcher Kohei Arihara (33), who is in the same grade as him and has been his rival since high school. On that day, he opened up his training to the public at the team's second-division facility in Kamagaya, Chiba. He showed his willingness to learn from his strong rival who is competing for a starting position, and set high goals for himself in both pitching and batting.

The three players who symbolize the team's moves this offseason were all in the same year. In addition to Arihara, Shimamoto joined the team in a trade from Hanshin Tigers, and Nishikawa joined the team after being released from Yakult. "I feel like I have more classmates now. It's rare to add three at this age," he said with a laugh. In particular, he and Arihara have a connection, having pitched against each other in the semi-finals of the 2010 Spring Koshien Tournament when they were both in their third year of high school.

During his time at Meiji University, he also competed fiercely with Waseda University's Arihara. They both entered the professional league as first-round draft picks, so they have a lot in common. "First of all, I was surprised. I never thought we'd end up on the same team. Personally, he was a friend and someone I could talk to easily. I'd like to meet him again after a long time and talk about various things, and I'd like to see him and learn as much as I can," he said, welcoming the opportunity. The competition for the starting position will become more intense, but he intends to use it as a learning experience to improve himself.

He has been working hard on muscle training this offseason, and has gained two kilos. He feels confident about the power and speed of his pitches, which he has been working on. As hitter, he is aiming to set a new record of six consecutive years of hit in the interleague games, which will be the final year without the DH system in Central League. "I want to do my best to achieve double-digit win and career-highs inning. As a batter, I am aiming to get six consecutive years of hits, so if I achieve that, I don't think anyone will ever surpass me, so I want to keep that in mind." With the arrival of his rival as a tailwind, he is aiming for a lofty goal. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)