◆Exhibition game: The Giants 3-0 Rakuten Eagles (March 21, Tokyo Dome)

Rakuten Eagles 's pitcher Shoma Fujihira, who participated in the WBC, made his first appearance in a preseason game on his second day back with the team. He retired three batters with just six pitches, all of which were fastballs exceeding 150 km/h, demonstrating that he is in excellent condition ahead of the season opener, which is just a week away.

Fujihira took mound in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the first three batters in just six pitches: Urata with a fly ball to left field in two pitches, Minagawa with a fly ball to center field in three pitches, and Hirayama with a ground ball to third base on the first pitch. All of his pitches were fastballs exceeding 150 km/h, with the fastest being 152 km/h. "For me, if my fastball doesn't feel right, the other pitches (breaking ball) won't be effective either," he said, explaining his first appearance since returning to Japan where he relied entirely on fastballs. "There weren't any particular problems. It wasn't anything to do with the ball (NPB ball) either."

The WBC was an unfamiliar experience for him, inning, so he said, "I think I have fatigue that I don't even know about, so I want to make sure I get rid of that fatigue first.

The right-hander, who was entrusted with the closer role from the second half of last season and recorded 12 saves, said that he would "pitch anywhere" when asked about his role this season, adding, "Last year, I found it rewarding to pitch the ninth inning. That's what I'm aiming for. I think the team won't be sharp if the last batter is unsure, so I want to work hard so that they can trust me to do that." He thus expressed his desire to take on the closer role.