Professional baseball will begin simultaneously in both the Central and Pacific Leagues on the 27th. The game between Softbank Hawks and Nippon-Ham is a highly anticipated matchup that could be considered a predictor of the Pacific League season.

Nippon-Ham, led by manager Shinjo, boast a lineup full of power hitters and skilled hitter. With Reyes as their main pillar, they will be fielding a near-optimal lineup capable of scoring from anywhere.

Softbank Hawks has placed WBC players Shuto and Kondo high in the batting order, with Yamakawa, Kurihara, and Makihara Dai waiting in the wings from fifth in the lineup. Their batting lineup has depth and balance that is on par with Nippon-Ham, and the performance of both starting pitchers, Uwasawa and Ito, will likely determine the outcome of the game.

The expected starting line-up for both teams are as follows:

◆ Nippon-Ham

1 (Left) Mizutani

2 (center) Yazawa

3 (Finger) Reyes

4 (3) County Governor

5 (1) Yuki Kiyomiya

6 (Right) Manami

7 (Play) Yamagata

8 (Catcher) Tamiya

9 (2) Mizuno

Pitcher: Ito

◆ Softbank Hawks

1 (Left) Yanagimachi

2 (Central) Shuto

3 (Right) Kondo

4 (DH) Yanagida

5. Mountains and Rivers

6 (Shortstop) Imamiya

7 (3) Kurihara

8 (catcher) Umino

9 (2) Makihara University

Pitcher: Uesawa