We learned on the 12th that Kosei Shoji pitcher are scheduled to start in the open game against Chunichi on the 13th (Vantelin Dome).

On this day, Shoji played catch and other exercises and responded to an interview after practice, saying enthusiastically, "The most important thing to keep in mind is to keep throwing a good number of pitches and not let the quality drop, and I want to pitch in a way that makes batters uncomfortable."

He started in the exhibition game against Lotte on the 5th, pitching for 5 innings and giving up 6 hit 1 runs.