Nippon-Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) issued a "greeting ban" during games on the 8th. He questioned the custom of a hitter-runner bowing to the opposing outfielder upon reaching second base, tilting his head while touching the brim of his cap and saying, "No, our signs come first. Look at the signs quickly. The game takes priority. It's not about prioritizing greetings."

He noted that there were cases during the season where detailed changes to signs were delayed due to the influence of pre-game greetings, and he called for improvement across the entire baseball world, saying, 'We're stopping it on our end. If the word spreads to all teams that The Fighters aren't doing greetings anymore, so we shouldn't either, that would be ideal.'

Furthermore, he expressed opposition to the practice of 'fraternizing' by chatting with players from other teams before games, stating, 'It is not a good thing to be talking the whole time before a match.' During the managers' meeting in January, Softbank Hawks manager Kokubo made a similar proposal, which he agreed with. While it has become a custom throughout the baseball world to go and greet seniors from one's high school, he intends to take the lead in abolishing this, saying, 'Juniors from my alma mater, Nishitan, come to see me, but it is unnecessary. I will be watching their play, so it is fine.'

The team concluded their autumn camp at Es Con Field on this day. Entering his sixth season next year, Shinjo's Fighters will continue to lead the baseball world. (Haruki Kawakami)