Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes pitcher Shota Abe pitched well in the second intrasquad game of the Miyazaki camp, allowing no hit and no runs in the first inning and striking out one strike out. Following his appearance on the 11th, he retired three batters in two consecutive games. The sixth-year right-hander, who switched to sidearm pitching last fall, recorded a top speed of 142 km/h, hinting at a return to form.

For the leadoff batter, Endo, he chose an outside cutter on the ninth pitch of full count, resulting in a swinging struck out. While Endo fouled off several pitches, he also showed his skill by incorporating a quick motion, even though there were no runner on base. "That's also a type of breaking ball. He was being persistent, so I threw it to see how he would react," he explained, describing his intention.

On the next pitch to Hori, he hit a grounder to shortstop with a shot that he has been working on improving since last fall. With two outs, he struck out Mugiya with a fly ball to second base with one pitch. "Against right-handed hitter there are many instances where the ball changes direction from where they want to hit it, resulting in infield grounder," he said, showing some satisfaction. However, he also brought home some issues, saying, "There are still some areas where I'm not aiming well."

"What is required is to be able to compete against right-handed hitter. I think it is absolutely necessary to be able to hold right-handed hitter closer at crucial moments, so I want to put my heart and soul into that, especially," he said emphatically.