Orix Buffaloes outfielder Yutaro Sugimoto (34) has finally emerged from his long slump. In the second inning with one out and the score tied 0-0, he connected with the fourth pitch from Ihara on a 1-2 count for doble the left field line. In his 17th at-bat in the final game of the preseason, he finally got his first hit. "I'm glad I got one at the end," he nodded.

He finished the preseason with a batting average of .067. "I didn't feel like I was doing terribly badly. I felt like I could manage somehow..." He reflected on the game cheerfully afterward, but on the 19th, he gave up his day off and practiced his batting at Maishima in Osaka. Last season, he also struggled before the season started with a batting average of .185, but recovered in March and April to .316. "There are 'success stories' like that. I want to continue at my own pace, as always," he said, showing his confidence.

He's just one home run away from 100 Home Run. "I think it'll come eventually, so I'm not trying to get it right away (laughs). I want to increase my extra-base hits and RBI," says Raoh, who will continue to be a core player in the batting lineup in his 11th year. (Shunta Nanbu)