◆ Pacific League 3-1 Seibu Lions (27th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte's opening day pitcher, second-round draft pitcher Kaito Mori, threw 70 pitches over five innings, allowing only four hit and no runs while strike out two. He became only the second rookie in the team's history to earn an opening day win, the first being Yoshimi Ebara in 1950, 76 years ago. It was also a welcome first win for manager Saburo, who took charge this season.

In the first inning, with one out, Mori allowed a single to Hasegawa and then a stolen base, putting him in a jam with two outs and a runner on second. However, closer Canario to ground out to the shortstop, escaping the inning without runs. In the second inning, he retired the side in order, and in the bottom of the inning, the offense provided support with a go-ahead RBI single by Matsukawa. In the fourth inning, mound hit his second RBI single, giving them a two-run lead. In the fifth inning, he retired the side in order, keeping the two-run lead runs before being replaced. He watched the game unfold from the dugout at first base.

In the eighth inning, Polanco hit a crucial solo home run to extend the lead, and in front of the dugout, he and his teammates embraced tightly and struck a "power" pose together.

Thanks to the outstanding performance of the battery of classmates Mori and Matsukawa, the Lotte Marines, led by manager Saburo, got off to a fantastic start.