On the 7th, Seibu Lions announced that pitcher Kaima Taira (26) visited a hospital in Miyazaki City and was diagnosed with a "mild strain in his left calf."

According to the team, Taira is a right-handed pitcher who missed practice on the 6th due to discomfort in his left calf during practice on the 5th. He appeared at the stadium that day but was adjusting to a different training program. He is expected to be out of action for two to three weeks, which could affect his participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, for which he had been scheduled.

The right-handed pitcher played in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and contributed to the team's gold medal, but did not play in the last WBC as it coincided with his transition to a starting pitcher. Expectations were high for this tournament, with his name being called in the first announcement in December last year, and when he was selected he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "With the responsibility and pride of fighting for the Japanese flag in my heart, I want to put everything I have into every pitch."