On the 11th, Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo expressed his expectations for pitcher Fukuya Yamazaki, who was taught the screwball by temporary coach Masa Yamamoto.

The screwball is a secret weapon of the legendary left-hander, who boasts a total of 219 wins. Yamazaki, who received instruction, commented, "The screwball was thrown with a good trajectory, so it was one of my favorites. It was my first time throwing it. I had it all figured out. It was perfect (laughs). All that's left is some fine-tuning."

When asked about temporary coach Yamamoto Masa, manager Shinjo commented, "Yamazaki Fukuya has been teaching me all this time. I think he's a great fit. I think Yamazaki can probably use his arm to throw a screwball. If he can swing his arm faster than a fastball, the screwball will stay in his head, so he can then hit a fastball on the inside. When he's about 80% conscious of the screwball, slider at the batter's knees where they're not even thinking about it. If he has these three things, he'll be able to do that." He expressed his expectations for Yamazaki to acquire new skills, saying, "He can also get double play. It's fun to have a runner on first base with no outs, when there's no bunting. For Rakuten Eagles, today's Rakuten player would be like Asamura."