Nippon Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito (28), who participated in the WBC as part of the Samurai Nippon-Ham, rejoined the team on the 17th at Escon Stadium where they played against the DeNA BayStars. He was greeted with applause from players, staff, and other related personnel.

He had just returned to Japan on the 16th after giving up a go-ahead three-run homer in the WBC quarterfinal against Venezuela, resulting in a heartbreaking defeat. He had planned to rest that day, but explained, "Considering my physical condition, I thought it would be better to move around today. I felt it would be better to move rather than think about it."

After giving up the go-ahead home run, he received slander and abuse on social media, but he accepted it, saying, "Given the outcome, I think someone had to end up in this position, so I'm glad it was me." He added, "I want to baseball. I think the only way to overcome the frustration of not being able to play baseball is through baseball."

Manager Shinjo sent him a direct message immediately after lose, and they spoke directly again today. Ito said he "cannot say" what they talked about, including the fact that he has been tentatively selected as the opening day pitcher. Nevertheless, when asked about his feelings regarding being the opening day pitcher, Ito said, "Of course, that was one of the things I took into consideration when I acted today." Despite the painful experience, he is not stopping and is moving forward towards the opening day, which is just 10 days away.