◆Pre-season game: Hanshin Tigers 5-0 Softbank Hawks (6th, Koshien)

Softbank Hawks Manager Hiroki Kokubo revealed the demotion of Keita Yamamoto outfielder to the second team after the Hanshin Tigers game. The fifth-year player outfielder from the developmental ranks finished 2 At Bat without hit and 1 struck out in the game Yakult against Mizuho Peipay on February 5, and 9 At Bat without hit in the open game. He has not looked like him since mid-February. The coaches were of the unanimous opinion," he said, revealing the reason for his demotion.

This brings the number of first-string fielder accompanying the team to 18. The breakdown is as follows: three catcher: Watanabe, Tanigawara, and Unno; 11 infielders: Kawase, Yamakawa, Imamiya, Kurihara, Shoji, Hirose Takashi, Ihine, Inoue, Akihiro, Takahashi, and Nomura; and four outfielder: Yanagida, Masaki, Yanagimachi, and Sasagawa. infielder is expected to have around 16 fielder at the start of the season. If Kondo, Shuto, Makihara Dai, and Downs, who are away from the team for the WBC, join the first string, this will mean that around six players will be cut from the 18 currently accompanying the team.

Regarding the upcoming narrowing down of the roster, manager Kokubo offered his outlook, saying, "We are thinking about doing it in time for the farm team's opening (on the 14th). There may be another step after The Giants game on the 12th (at Mizuho PayPay)."