◆Exhibition game: Nippon-Ham vs. Yakult (21st, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito, who participated in the WBC as part of the Nippon-Ham, has been announced as starter.

Ito gave up a go-ahead three-run homer in the quarterfinal match against Venezuela in the WBC. He faced slander and criticism, but after returning to Japan on the 16th, he gave up his day off and rejoined the team on the 17th, saying, "I thought it would be better to act rather than think about it. The only way to overcome the frustration of baseball is through baseball," and he had shifted his focus to the season.

Manager Shinjo also showed his strong confidence in him, saying, "He's 5000% going to be the opening day pitcher. He's not a weak pitcher. He's not a weak person. If he had closer (in the WBC), I wouldn't have made him the opening day pitcher. I probably would have put him fifth or sixth. But since he got hit, I thought, 'Okay, let's go!'" and reaffirmed his nomination for the opening pitcher.