Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) attended the opening special party held in Sapporo on the 3rd, where he declared his "96 wins" in front of approximately 240 people, including the team's business partners. He held a talk show with outfielder defense base running coach Morimoto, and excitedly declared, "We're aiming for 96 wins this year. I'm serious. Really. I'd really like to say 100 (wins), but I'll keep it modest and say 96 wins. Please look forward to it." He reiterated the same goal he set during a staff meeting in January. He vowed to surpass last season's 83 wins and break the team's previous record of 87 wins set in 2016, when the team won the championship.