Nippon-Ham infielder Kotaro Kiyomiya (26) hit his first home run of the season in his first at-bat of the season on the 11th. He played as the "number 5 hitter and first baseman" in a practice game against Rakuten Eagles (in Nago). He sent Rakuten Eagles starter Kosha's 145 km/h pitch to left-center field.

The ball, which was hit toward center field, flew over the left-center wall with the help of a strong wind. With one out and no runner on base in the second inning, he hit his first solo home run of the season on the second pitch after a ball, with his first swing in a real game. Expressing his joy with a hand sign representing the "R" in "DOMI!", the players' association president reflected, "It felt like it was a little bit too far, but I swung hard and it hit the center. There was quite a bit of wind, so that helped."

The final push came from temporary coach Yamazaki's advice: "Sometimes the ball of my left foot turns over. I was aware of it, but I didn't think much of it. When I was told to pay attention to it, it felt great." He had been conscious of resting on his hip joint, but by paying attention to the ball of his foot, he felt that "it was working together."

Manager Shinjo was as critical as ever, saying, "It's all about the wind (laughs). It's close, it's the point." Even so, Kiyomiya Yuki said, "I think it would be good to swing more and miss more. When I was doing well, my strikeout rate was higher." He is looking for long hits rather than singles, and will be showing a different side from last season. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)