Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (53) raised the issue of the NPB unified ball, which "doesn't fly," at a meeting of the 12 teams' managers held in Tokyo on the 20th. "The ball doesn't fly very far, does it? I want it to fly a little further. The balls we used when we were active flew really far. Free batting isn't fun either. Many players lose their form because they want the ball to fly further. The number of hits, especially from balls hit between third base and shortstop, has decreased."

Last season, there were only two hitter in the Central League and one in the Pacific League who hit .300. Only one player in either league hit .300. "The number of Home Run and batters with a batting average of over .300 will probably increase. We've had three or four years of good pitcher, so if the batters improve this time, I think it will be fun for the fans watching." To this, there was a response that "If pitcher are too good, it's not interesting, and if hitter hit too many Home Run, the game won't end, so it's a difficult situation."

He also mentioned gloves for base running like "pot grabs" that runner wear to prevent injuries. There are kids with really long fingers. I'll have to get them to decide. I'll try to do it quietly. I'm in favor of the tiebreaker. I'm in favor of the tiebreaker. It allows the coach to show his skills. pitcher I think it would be cool if they closer did that," he said. (Hiroshi Kato)