On the 17th, Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo (54) nominated the "Three Left-Handed Crows" to replace Arihara. He visited Fukuoka Children's Hospital and interacted with the children in the ward wearing their uniforms. In a question and answer session with parents, he was asked "Which players are you looking forward to this year?" and addressed the three players: Yu Maeda, Jun Maeda, and Ohno.
"Unless we create games where we are patient with young players to a certain extent, they won't improve." Arihara, who served as opening pitcher for two consecutive years since he became manager and also won the most wins award consecutively, has transferred to Nippon-Ham. In terms of 25 years, that would mean 175 inning to fill. Maeda Yu won his first professional win in 2013, and Jun Maeda also won two in 10 games. Ohno also made his professional debut, and expressed his hope that he would "earn the right to challenge" for the team's rise.
リーグ３連覇と２年連続日本一を目指す２６年。「一度壊す」と言う小久保監督は「野手もそうですけど、下からの力がない限りは強いチームをつくることができないので。先発投手に関してはチャンス」とうなずいた。実績や年齢は不問。パ王者の競争は激しく、厳しい。（森口 登生）
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