Open game Nippon-Ham and Lotte (7th, Escond)

Nippon-Ham pitcher Tamon Asari started and pitched three innings, allowing only two hit and no runs, and striking out strike out.

Asari, who has been working on correcting his form since the offseason, said, "I think the things I've been working on since the offseason came out in a good way." When asked about his gains, he nodded and said, "My breaking ball in general were good, and fork was an issue for me, so that was good. I was able to get some strikeouts, and I was able to get some grounders by throwing the ball out of sync."

Even so, his fastest pitch that day was 148 km/h. He also mentioned areas for improvement for next time, saying, "The speed range of my fastball has dropped significantly, so (the issue is) the power of my fastball."