On the 17th, Rakuten Eagles manager Hajime Miki (48) welcomed the spirit of Rakuten Eagles pitcher Uchi Seiryu (23).

At this point, the position of opening pitcher has yet to be decided. Last season, Uchi pitched in a total of 25 games as a starter and reliever, posting a record of 3 wins, 5 losses, 1 ERA, and an ERA of 2.92. After renewing his contract in December, he wrote "opening pitcher" on a colored paper he wrote down his goals for. "I want to train during the offseason with the opening pitcher in mind, and I want to start camp. At this point, if you were to ask who the opening pitcher will be, it definitely won't be me, so I'll be fully aware of that and I want to throw pitches that will make what I said at the start of camp a reality," he said enthusiastically.

Manager Miki was pleased with Uchi's enthusiasm. "That's reassuring. We'll be waiting," he said excitedly, adding, "With that kind of enthusiasm, it's not enough to just say it; aim for that (opening pitcher) position. Uchi, as well as Shoji and Koja, are young, next-generation pitchers, and I think there's no doubt that they are pitcher are expected to help build this team."

The manager is looking forward to seeing the 23-year-old right-hander pitch, who is sure to be full of energy and working hard in training. "I know Uchi is also that enthusiastic, and of course I know that he said the same thing when he renewed his contract last year, but I'm looking forward to seeing how he expresses what he said in this voluntary training and how he will do in February. It's not enough to just say it. I want to meet him soon and see how he performs in bullpen," he said with anticipation.