Orix Buffaloes 's new foreign player, pitcher Sean Hjelle (28) = formerly of the Giants = overcame a mishap and got off to a good start in his first game in Japan. On the 21st, he made his first appearance in an intrasquad game at the Miyazaki camp, starting and strike out one inning without allowing runs hit, striking out one batter. "My style is to get batters to hit Walk," he said, and even after walking Nishino with one out, he didn't panic and retired Seymour with a ground ball double double play.

On this day, he appeared looking refreshed after shaving off his beard. "I failed to trim it this morning... (laughs)," he revealed the surprising reason. "If I shave it off (completely), my girlfriend will get mad. It will grow back soon (like it was)," he said, leaving a small amount of beard under his lip, declaring that he will let it grow again.

The 213cm right-hander, the tallest player ever to have major league experience, said he felt confident about pitch, stating, "It's been a while since I've been on mound, and I feel like I've taken another step forward." He straightened his back even further, adding, "This angle is something that other pitcher can't easily imitate. I hope I can use it as one of my weapons."

(Shunta Nanbu)