Nippon-Ham s Fukuya Yamazaki pitcher was taught the screwball by temporary coach Masashi Yamamoto on November 11. The screwball is the family heirloom of the legendary left fielder, who boasts a total of 219 wins. Yamazaki also felt the effect of the screwball on his other pitches, saying, "I feel like all my pitches get better by throwing the screwball," and threw 104 pitches, far more than the 70 planned.

Yamazaki was the first to enter bullpen, and at almost the same time, temporary coach Yamamoto Masaru also bullpen. First, he was advised to create a firm line with his right arm toward catcher and to throw by opening his left shoulder blade so that his elbow is raised. Then, while pitching, Yamazaki asked him how to throw a screwball. After receiving instruction on how to grip the ball and how to apply spin with his middle finger, Yamazaki immediately put it into practice. Seeing how Yamazaki caught the ball in no time, temporary coach Yamamoto Masaru was full of praise, saying, "He's got a knack," "That's amazing," and "That's perfect."

The "Yamamoto Shojuku" session was almost entirely his own for over an hour. Yamazaki, who had a fulfilling time, said, "The screwball was thrown with a good trajectory, so it was one of my favorites. It was my first time throwing it. I had a perfect grasp of it. It was perfect (laughs). Now it's just a matter of fine-tuning." He also explained the synergistic effect of throwing the screwball, saying, "The elbow naturally rises, and the way you throw it opens your shoulder blades up properly, so he said that all of that comes into play in the subsequent balls."

How he will utilize this "treasured weapon" in the future will depend on hitter 's reaction. Regarding his use in actual games, he spoke positively, saying, "I don't know. I would like to pitch. I want to pitch."