◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 0-10 Rakuten Eagles (27th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes suffered a crushing defeat to Rakuten Eagles. It was the fourth time in 94 years that he had a double-digit runs in the opening game since 32 (Daiei match). Coach Mamoru Kishida said, "I didn't expect to be contacted that much, but...", and turned his attention to the poor performance of starter Miyagi. The ace, who entrusted the opening pitcher for the third time in three consecutive years, knocked out 8 runs (2 earned) in the first 2/3 innings, which is both his worst tie. After the WBC, he pitched only one game in the open game.

"This is just the beginning. He just has to switch gears and get back in form. He just has to aim for the next challenge and keep going," the manager said, offering encouraging words to his ace pitcher. He also revealed his plans for the batting lineup.

The cleanup hitter was new foreign player Seymour, who hadn't hit a home run in the preseason games. "I'm hoping he'll hit one, of course. I wanted to see how he'd start the season," he said. Mori was put behind the plate for the opening game, and Wakatsuki, who returned from the WBC, was used as the "number 5 hitter and designated hitter." He added that he had a good chemistry with Shoji, as they had 4 hit in 10 at-At Bat each other in 2013. Both players managed one hit, but the result was shutout game loss. "We gave them a bit of momentum, so we want to stop that tomorrow," he said, looking ahead to the second game on the 28th.