◆Exhibition game: Nippon-Ham 5x-4 Lotte (8th, Escon Stadium)

pitcher Kohei Arihara (33), who returned to Nippon-Ham Fighters for the first time in six years, started in the exhibition game against the Lotte Marines on the 8th. He gave up four hit, five Walk and two runs in the middle of the third inning, but he made steady progress towards the opening game.

Amidst a warm ovation, Arihara took to mound for Escon. In his first home appearance since returning to his former team after six years, he pitched 2 2/3 innings, hit 4 hits and 2 runs. "I think I was able to pitch with a fresh feeling," he said. He also issued Walk, indicating a lack of control, and added, "There were parts where I couldn't control my pitches, so I feel bad for (catcher) Yuushin Shimizu. I hope to correct that and improve my condition next time," clearly identifying areas for improvement.

There were many benefits to the experience. catcher was Masaru Shimizu, who was his battery partner six years ago. "There are some things that have changed since then, and he listened to me about the types of pitches and stances I had, so we had good communication." After playing in the majors, he exchanged opinions with his juniors, showing his evolved appearance, which frequently uses two seam fastball.

His fastest pitch of the day was 145 km/h. With his next game in mind, against The Giants at Tokyo Dome in a week, he said, "I think that's about it for today. I hope to gradually increase it." The right-handed pitcher, who had the most wins last season, is steadily preparing for his scheduled game against the Lotte Marines on March 31st (Ace Con). (Kawakami Haruki)