◆Pre-season game Rakuten Eagles and Lotte (4th, Shizuoka)

First-round draft pick, right-handed pitcher Sota Fujiwara (Hanazono University), made his third appearance in an exhibition game, starting and pitching two innings, allowing only two hit and strike out without runs.

This was his first start in eight days since the game The Giants on February 23rd (Naha), but his fastball, which topped out at 151 km/h, and his sharp slider were effective. "I'm glad I was able to compete well within the zone," he reflected. Regarding the speed of his fastball, he stated his goal, saying, "I'd like to increase the maximum speed, but I think average speed is more important, so I want to continue working on that."

struck out runner pitch With three games played against us, five inning and no runs, we are taking a steady step forward," said coach Miki. It's time for him to gain experience by taking part in more games, little by little. I think I'm learning a lot. The goal is to make the first team for the season opener, so I will do my best to survive by not giving up points in terms of results," he vowed emphatically.