On the 29th, Keito Kawajiri pitcher (22) = Asia University=, who was selected first round in the draft from Seibu Lions, modestly expressed his enthusiasm for achieving his no hitter after turning pro, saying, "As always, with the mindset of each individual."

The 189-centimeter, 94-kilogram large right-hander received a congratulatory visit for his selection from General Manager Hiroike and Scout Togame at the school located in Musashino City, Tokyo. His greatest weapon is a heavy fastball reaching a maximum speed of 158 km/h, and he set his goals by stating, "I want to achieve double-digit wins, earn the Rookie of the Year award, and become a pitcher who represents both the team and Japan."

The "preliminary preparations" for achieving the great record are perfect. Although he humbly said, "Looking back, I was throwing to the right spots, but there was also luck involved with good hits going straight to my teammates," he achieved the first no-hitter in the league in 22 years with a brilliant performance, throwing 120 pitches over 9 innings and recording 11 strike outs in the Tohto University League match against Kokugakuin University on October 13th at Jingu Stadium. Speaking of "Kawajiri" at Asia University, there is a precedent from May 26th, 1998, in a match against Chunichi at Kurashiki, where Hanshin Tigers pitcher Tetsuro Kawajiri, an alumnus of the same school, became the 77th player in baseball history to mark the same record.

Manager Nishiguchi himself recorded three 'near-no-hitters' during his playing days, so it is certainly a high hurdle. Nevertheless, the right-hander, who smiled shyly and said, 'I think I can pitch with peace of mind because I have a good defense behind me,' makes us look forward to the day he achieves this great feat. (Ayami Ohnaka)