Seibu Lions Lions pitcher Haruto Yamada (21) held an open practice session on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa by the 19th. He vowed to "complete the season without injury" for his fourth year with the team.

In his third year out of high school, 2025, he was promoted to the first team in the second game of the season. He made his first-team debut on April 3 against Rakuten Eagles (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), and appeared in 49 games, tied for second most on the team, with a record of 3 wins, 3 losses, 17 hold, 1 ERA, and an ERA of 2.08, including his first professional win. He became a regular in the team's win formula midway through the season and played without any absences, making it a breakout year for him.

He is fully motivated to "contend as reliever" this season as well. Taira, who served as the team's guardian angel, has returned to starting, leaving the position vacant. Manager Nishiguchi is also hopeful, saying, "It's not like we don't have a guardian angel," but the right-hander is humble, saying, "I just have to pitch where the team needs me and hold them down. I don't think that will be much different from last year." "If I had to say, I've made 49 appearances (on the mound), so I'd like to round it off and get to about 50. My average (pitch speed) is around 143 or 144 km/h, so I'd like to be able to consistently throw 150 km/h," he said, clearing each goal one by one as he battles through the season.