Yamamoto Daito Yamamoto of the Lotte Marines, a Samurai Japan support member, made his debut for Samurai Japan on the 27th at the "LUXAS Samurai Japan Series 2026 Nagoya Samurai Japan vs Chunichi Dragons," making his presence felt with his first at-bat, first hit, and first timely hit.

Misho Nishikawa (Lotte), who had been selected as a support member, withdrew due to an injury to the flexor in his right forearm, so Yamamoto, who was selected as a replacement, came on as a substitute defense in the sixth inning with the score at 4-0. "I wasn't that nervous." In his first at-bat for Samurai Japan in the seventh inning with the score at 4-2 and two outs and runners on first and second, Matsukidaira Yuta threw a 129 km/h change-up on the third pitch with one ball and one strike, but Yamamoto hit it to left field, allowing second base runner Yuasa Dai (The Giants) to score. His first hit for Samurai Japan came with a welcome RBI.

"I was aiming for home run," he said regretfully, but added happily, "We weren't scoring any runs, so I'm glad I got a timely hit."

On the 11th, the final day of spring training in Miyakonojo, Yamamoto said regarding the exhibition game, "All I have to do is hit, that's all. The manager has told me that if I hit, I'll be able to play. I think if I hit better than anyone else, I'll be able to be in starting line-up, so first I want to showcase my power hitting." And he delivered results on the stage of "Samurai Japan."

"I get to play among such great players. I'm happy I was able to hit the ball."

Incidentally, Nishikawa, a close teammate at Lotte, also made his Samurai Japan top team debut during his time at Aoyama Gakuin University on March 6, 2024, in the "CarNext Samurai Japan Series 2024 Japan vs. Europe" with the score 4-0 in the sixth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, when he came to bat and hit the first pitch down third base line doble When asked if Yamamoto knew about Nishikawa's first at bat, first hit and first RBI for Samurai Japan, or if he was conscious of it, he replied, "I wasn't conscious of it at all. I had no idea."

During pre-game practice that day, the major league players from Samurai Japan – Masataka Yoshida (Red Sox), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), and Seiya Suzuki (Cubs) – all practiced batting together. Ohtani hit 11 home runs in 7 swings x 4 sets, sending the ball into the stands to left field, center fielder field, and right field. Yamamoto watched the major league players' batting practice up close and said excitedly, "It was amazing."

Seiya Suzuki is a right-handed hitter outfielder like Yamamoto. "I really admired Seiya Suzuki, so he taught me a lot during practice, and I would ask him questions myself and he answered all my questions. I learned a lot from him. I asked him everything I wanted to ask," Yamamoto said with shining eyes.

Looking ahead to the game against Chunichi on the 28th, he said, "I want to hit well and do my best to stand out," before boarding the team bus.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita