◆ Practice match Hiroshima 10-1 Rakuten Eagles (17th, Koza)

Naoki Sato outfielder, who moved from Softbank Hawks to Rakuten Eagles in last December's active draft, made a strong offensive showing in the top of the first inning hitter first pitch Home Run and two others hit. He also made a good return to home base defense in the middle of the field runner and stabbed a good pitch to home plate.

Starting as the leadoff hitter and center starting line-up, Sato reflected on his recent struggles with hitting in games and swung hard at Hiroshima's Taka's first pitch, a fastball, sending it into the left-center field bleachers. He also put into practice his long-awaited goal of "hitting the fastball cleanly," and smiled, saying, "I'm glad that going for it with all my might resulted in home run."

In the next defense, with two outs and runners on second and third, catch hit to center field by Sato Kei and made a perfect throw that landed in catcher 's mitt after one bounce, preventing the runner from scoring on second base. He clearly demonstrated his strong arm, which he said is "one of his specialties."

The 27-year-old has a solid track record, having played in 104 games for the first team last season. "I'm gradually getting used to the games, and I want to take it up another level," he said, showing his progress. "My goal is to be in the starting starting line-up for the opening game. We want to win the championship, so I want to produce results so I can be a part of that team," he said, showing his enthusiasm for achieving a second consecutive victory across two teams.