On the 17th, Nippon Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo commented on the content of a direct message he sent to pitcher Hiromi Ito, who was participating in the WBC as part of the Samurai Japan team, during the tournament.

Ito gave up a go-ahead three-run homer in the WBC quarterfinal against Venezuela and also received slander and abuse. When asked about the direct messages he sent to Ito, the manager said, "I gave him some advice, and I can't really say what it was, but the way I gave the advice wasn't good... I think I bear some responsibility."

Ito had revealed that he received a direct message (DM) after the game, so when asked when the DM was sent, he said, "It was before the game. It was about mental aspects. I don't know anything about pitching form or anything like that," revealing that he had also sent advice via DM before the game.

He then commented on the post-game direct message, saying, "The fact that I was given the opportunity to play in that situation means that Manager Ibata must have thought, 'Let's go with Ito here.' It was only a one-run difference, right? I told him that I wanted to express my gratitude."

Manager Shinjo has also stated that he will use Ito as the opening day pitcher, saying, "He's 5000% going to be the opening pitcher. He's not a weak pitcher. He's not a weak person. He's the type of person who will become even stronger after having an experience like that."