◆Exhibition game: Softbank Hawks 5-1 Chunichi (March 17, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Softbank Hawks secured win in four games, since their game The Giants on the 11th (at Mizuho PayPay Dome).

Ozeki, who started mound the game, pitched 6 1/3 innings with a powerful straight ball in the mid-140 km/h range and fork a 4 hit 1 runs. Both pitches were carefully gathered low, and he made five struck out good pitches.

The offense was closer to just two hit through six innings by Chunichi 's starting pitcher Ohno, but in the seventh inning, with one out and runners on first and third, Masaki hit a go-ahead three-run homer to right field. In the eighth inning, with two outs and a runner on second, Ihine hit his first home run of the preseason, a two-run shot. They extended their lead to four runs, and Osuna closer the eighth inning, followed by Sugiyama in the ninth.