Rakuten Eagles infielder Itsuki Murabayashi (28) held an open practice session on the 28th at Rakuten Eagles Mobile's Saikyo Park Miyagi indoor facility in Sendai. He expressed his anticipation for facing pitcher Takahiro Norimoto (35), who transferred from Rakuten Eagles to The Giants as a free agent.

He has always watched his heroic figure on mound from close range. That's why he feels a stronger attachment to him than most. When the conversation turned to Norimoto, who has left the team, Murabayashi spoke passionately about his senior.

"He contacted me before the news broke, and it made me realize I needed to work harder myself... I also know how much Nori-san cares about baseball."

The stage for the serious showdown will be the interleague games. It will take place in a three-game series at home starting on June 9th. "If there is a match, I would like to be allowed to hit a few balls there... but I guess I'd like to be the only one to hit against Nori-san. I'll do my best," he said, making a full-on joke as he declared war.

On this day, he adjusted for the February 1 camp-in by running, catch playing ball, and hitting practice. Last season, he played 137 games, mainly at third, and won the title of most hit with 144 hit appearances. He hit .281 with a .3 Home Run and .51 RBI batting average and won the third baseman Best Nine and Golden Glove awards.

"By doing well, I can give back to the people who have supported me. It made me really happy to see them happy. This season, I'll do my best to reach my career high. I want to hit more long balls than last year."

He looks forward to a reunion with Norimoto and the 18.44 meter distance, and will fight through this crucial season. (Kato Hiroshi)