◆Exhibition game: Nippon-Ham 1-1 Yakult (22nd, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham outfielder Chusei Mannami hit a single to center field in his first at-bat since returning to the first team.

Starting as the number five hitter and right fielder, he came up to starting line-up first in the second inning and hit a sharp line drive to right-center field off Yakult 's starting pitcher Ogawa's 139 km/h cutter. He carried his good form from the minor leagues directly to the major league stage.

Manami reflected, "I had a lot of confidence in what I had been doing in the minor leagues and in my condition, so I was able to go into it smoothly. I reacted well to the hit."

He spent about two weeks adjusting in the minor inning. Even as the season opener approached, he wasn't anxious. "I never thought I wouldn't be ready. Everything went according to plan. I was able to play solid at-defense and in the field for quite a long time, and I got a lot of at-bats before coming back, so it was a really good period." He got hit immediately after being promoted, and he's heading into the season opener with high spirits.

Manami played in five exhibition games, but hit, going 1-At Bat-13 with a batting average of .077, and was sent to the farm team for further adjustment. He made his first appearance in a farm team game on March 11th in the educational league, At Bat 2-hit-8 in two educational league games. After that, when the Eastern League regular season began, he started hitting well, recording an impressive 11 hit 19 At Bat-bats over five games, for a batting average of .579, and returned to the first team.

After the game on the 21st, manager Shinjo emphasized the players' good condition and expressed his expectations, saying, "Manami and Kiyomiya will be coming tomorrow (the 22nd), so I'd like them to play. They're in good condition. Extremely good."