◇ Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. Hanshin Tigers exhibition game (23rd, Enagic Stadium Nago)

​Haruki Nishikawa of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters hit the team's first home run of the preseason.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, with a one-run lead, Nishikawa, who was starting as the cleanup hitter and left fielder, stepped up to the plate. With a 2-1 count, he connected with the third pitcher, Iwasada Yuta, who had just come in, and the ball went to right field. It went straight into the stands, giving his team a valuable additional run.

In the practice games, the offense was in good form, scoring a total of 33 runs in 5 games, but they only managed one run in the game against Hiroshima the previous day. In that context, Nishikawa's home run, who returned to his former team after 5 years, was a blast that energized the team. After that, with two outs and a runner on first base, fellow new recruit Castro hit a two-run homer.

Written by Aoi Nemoto