Orix Buffaloes pitcher Hiroya Miyagi (24) entered "Rising Sun Mode" on the 2nd. The seventh-year left-hander, who was selected for the WBC Japan national team in March along with teammates Soya and Wakatsuki, threw 66 pitches to catcher in his first bullpen session of the Miyazaki camp. "I think it was alright, and I felt like my body was moving well." Regarding the ball to be used in the tournament, he said, "The ball feels a little bigger, and the axis of rotation and rotation speed are somewhat different from the balls used in Japan. I hope I can get a feel for it."

At the last tournament in 2013, he won the world championship alongside Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (39) and others. The legend, who underwent right elbow surgery in October 2013, is scheduled to serve as a "temporary advisor" at the Samurai Japan training camp starting on the 14th. In the summer of 2019, when he was a third-year student at Konan High School in Okinawa, the big star, 15 years older than him, praised him on social media, saying, "I love his pitching style, the trajectory of the ball, and everything overall." He expressed his gratitude, saying, "I'm grateful that he took time out of his busy schedule to come to Japan." He also mentioned that during the last tournament training camp, the two enjoyed a "swan boat date" on a day off, and jokingly declared, "I'd like to send him back to San Diego," declaring that this time he would sail the boat to "Dal-san's" home base.

Just as he learned the grip for fork last time, he will also absorb the secrets to pitch prowess of the pitcher with 208 career wins in Japan and the US. "I hope to receive various advice and add it to my repertoire for baseball career." After sharing this intense time together, his ultimate goal is to revel in the joy of the championship game not in San Diego, but in Miami, USA. The Orix ace, a native of the island, will be the driving force behind their consecutive world championships. (Shunta Nanbu)