◆ Second-division training match: Nippon-Ham 3-1 Chunichi (20th, Nago)

Nippon-Ham 's second-round draft pick, outfielder Kane Edokpolo Kane (Osaka University of Economics), delivered a hit that marked a fresh start.

He joined the second team from that day on and participated in a practice game as the "number 8 hitter and designated hitter." In his second at-bat in the fourth inning, he hit hit to center field, his first hit in 13 at-bats, and reflected, "It wasn't a hit that I connected with well, but I've been having a string of games where I haven't been able to hit, so it was good that I got a hit while thinking about what I was doing."

In a practice game against Hanshin Tigers Nago on the 8th, he hit a doble over the middle and scored 2 hit and was promoted to the first team immediately. However, after that, until the game against Chunichi (Chatan) on the 19th, he had played 4 games with 9 At Bat no hit 1 Walk, 5 struck out and no results. He revealed how he felt during the period when he was unable to play: "I didn't feel that much of a sense of urgency, but I did feel that there was still a lot of work to be done.

The hit was the result of aggressively going for the swing from ball 3. "Up until now, there have been many at-bats where I've been a little thrown off balance and haven't been able to swing my way, so with ball 3, I thought I could swing my way even more, so I swung," he said with a nod.

Second-team manager Inaba expressed his expectations for his future growth, saying, "It's still early days. Rather than thinking about results, it's more about keeping up with professional baseball. He's had a good experience with the first team and I think he's seen his weaknesses, so I think he needs to work hard at the farm team."