On the 8th, Nippon-Ham pitcher Kenta Uehara entered bullpen for the first time since the end of last season at the second-division facility in Kamagaya, Chiba. He pitched 31 pitches to check his sense of the slope.

He took his time to carefully check his senses. Uehara said with a wry smile, "It was my first time on an incline since the season ended. It just felt strange."

Last season, he established himself as a reliever in the second half of the season. In 27 games, he went 3-1 with 1 save and 13 hold and bullpen. He will be camping as a reliever for the first time in his 11th year as a professional, but he said, "I have been in camp as a starter for 10 years, so I don't know how to adjust reliever (laughs).

During the offseason, he reduced his body fat percentage by 2% from his 100kg frame and increased his muscle mass. He's now focused on getting the fundamentals of pitch back in shape for spring training.