◆Exhibition game: Softbank Hawks 4x-3 Yakult (March 3rd, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Softbank Hawks defense Takahashi Ryukei infielder =JR East Japan=, the fifth-ranked rookie in the draft, made a splashy debut at his home base. The first at bat in the bottom of the inning was a swinging struck out bat, but with a runner at second base and one out in the ninth inning, he threw Hirozawa's first pitch into the left-field terrace seats with a flourish. The 24-year-old, who went from Meishu Hitachi to Chunichi University and was drafted fifth overall by JR East. walk-off He said that this is the first time in his life that he has hit a bullet. He said, "My goal is to make the first team for the opening day of the season, so I think this was the best result and the best appeal for me. Manager Hiroki Kokubo was also surprised by his competitive spirit.

After the game, when asked at the end of the televised press conference about his aspirations for being in the starting starting line-up for opening day, he corrected himself, saying, "Starting in the opening day starting line-up is a bit..." and asked to be changed to "making the first team for opening day." He added, "When I compare my current skills and abilities, I still think there's a big gap, so I think being starting line-up is still a long way off," showing his grounded approach and his intention to take his professional career one step at a time.

It was the first time in 20 years that a rookie walk-off home run opened the season since Nippon-Ham ・Keizo Kawashima hit a comeback three-run shot against Yakult Nago on Feb. 26, 2006.