◆ WBC warm-up match Orix Buffaloes and Japan (2nd, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes... Ryo Ota infielder was looking forward to the matchup with Yusei Kikuchi = Angels, who will be starting for Samurai Japan.

He attended the pre-game press conference along with manager Kishida. He looked forward to playing against the left-hander, who went from Seibu Lions the Mariners of the U.S. Major League Baseball in his rookie year, 2019, saying, "I haven't played against Kikuchi pitcher, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of ball he can throw.

Manager Kishida also revealed his interactions with former Orix Buffaloes buff Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. "He came to say hello to me in my manager's office, so I offered him words of encouragement. I said, 'It's been a while,' we had a chat, and I told him to do his best," he said of the right-handed pitcher who is expected to become Japan's ace. Ota, who played with him until 2011, also shared an exchange, saying, "I had the opportunity to say hello to him."