◆Pre-season game Orix Buffaloes 2-3 The Giants (6th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes ・Soichiro Yamazaki pitcher (27) succeeded in revenge with "almost all fastballs". He took the mound in 6th place from the 8th inning of 0-3 and completed the first inning pitch. From the first out, Ishizuka and Utsunomiya were both finished off with a fastball struck out. Of the 18 pitches, fastball is 16 pitches. The fastest speed was also measured at 155 km/h, and he showed a certain response, saying, "After all, (ball speed) will increase."

He also pitched in the eighth inning of the warm-up match against the Japanese national team for the World Baseball Classic held on the 2nd (Kyocera Dome). With two outs and a runner on first, he allowed a timely doble over the center field to Wakatsuki, his regular battery partner. His fastest pitch was only 151 km/h, and he has fine-tuned his pitching form in a short space of time to emphasize speed. While he was able to achieve the results he achieved that day, he also brought home a challenge: "If I could pitch lower, my other breaking ball would come into play."

After 25 years in which he only pitched in 28 games, the 160 km/h right-hander is now in his 10th year as a professional, marking a milestone. His goal is to pitch in 50 games for the first time since 2003, when he became world champion as a member of Samurai Japan. "I want to get myself in shape during this exhibition game period so that I can contribute to the team without any injuries." The perfect Soichiro is firmly in the winning pattern. (Nambu Shunta)