◆Pre-season Rakuten Eagles 0-0 DeNA (8th, Shizuoka)

Rakuten Eagles 's new foreign right-handed pitcher, José Ureña (formerly of the Angels), has virtually secured a spot in the opening day rotation with a strong performance of 5 innings, allowing only 3 hit and no runs.

In his first game appearance since February 22nd, when he pitched in relief against the same DeNA team, pitch plan was to "show a fastball first, and then focus on slower pitches." In addition to his powerful fastball, which reached a top speed of 156 km/h, he also showcased the pitch skills of a veteran with 44 career wins in the majors, such as getting Kyoda to hit into a double double play with change-up with no outs and runners on first and second in the second inning.

"I was helped by my teammates' defense and was able to pitch a solid game," said the 35-year-old, reflecting on his first mound in a preseason game, where he threw a total of 61 pitches. Manager Hajime Miki, who watched from the dugout, expressed his expectations, saying, "He's a player with great potential. I want him to lead the team as one of the starting pitchers. We want to support him so that he can succeed in Japan."