On the 20th, Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes infielder Hirooka Taishi sent his support to former The Giants infielder Okamoto Kazuma, who has decided to join the Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. The two were a year apart at Chiben Academy, and in 2014, when Okamoto was a third-year student and Hirooka was a second-year student, they played at Koshien in both the spring and summer tournaments. Hirooka, who played alongside right-handed hitter for two and a half years at The Giants from 2021, commented, "I'm glad he's decided to move to the majors. When I went pro, I thought there was no way I could make it if Okamoto hadn't performed well. I'm sure he'll achieve the same kind of results in the majors."

"After all, I'm going to be hitter... I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens. I've spoken to Okamoto about how the majors place a lot of importance on OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage), something Hirooka himself values," he said, pointing out that one thing to look out for is OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage), which is something Hirooka himself values. During his seven years with The Giants, from 2018 to 2024, when Okamoto cleared the required number of at-bats, he never fell below 80%, which is considered the mark of a top-class hitter. In 2023, he recorded a league-best 95.8%. "I think he'll exceed that (80%) (even in the majors). I'll be looking at it with a very (biased) eye," he said with a smile.

On this day, he held an open training session with The Giants' Sakamoto in Okinawa Prefecture. "Not just in batting, but also in defense and mindset, there were still so many things I wanted to see," he said, having shared a very productive time with his former teammate from The Giants. Having finished his 25th year, in which he reached the required number of plate appearances for the first time, he is now in his 11th year as a professional, aiming to become a regular player. He will use this inspiration as motivation to become a core player for the Orix Buffaloes.