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

A new hero has emerged for the Lotte Marines, who are aiming to bounce back from last season's last-place finish. Draft pick number two, left-handed pitcher Kaito Mori, threw 70 pitches over five innings, allowing only four hit and no runs, while striking strike out two. He became the second rookie in the team's history to earn an opening day win, the first being Yoshimi Ebara in 1950, 76 years ago, and presented manager Saburo (49) with his first win.

The night before the climb to the plate, he was restless and went to sleep and woke up many times before the fateful day arrived. Even though he was sleep deprived, he showed his strong heart when he went up to mound. The highlight was a scene in the fourth inning with a one-run lead and runners on first and second with two outs. He shouted loudly as he got out of a pinch by striking out struck out from Genda. The first time I saw him, I thought he was a great player," he said. I wanted to make sure that I was the one to make the first win decision for Mr. Sub," he said, expressing his gratitude by referring to him as "Mr. Sub," which is something he would never say to his face on his first appearance at the plate.

To perform at his best in games, he has skillfully utilized aromatherapy and perfume since his time at Meiji University. Before taking the mound, his routine involves two sprays of his favorite perfume. "I can relax with scents," he says, explaining how using his favorite fragrance to alleviate extreme tension led to a strong performance in front of his parents, whom he invited to watch from the stands.

Manager Saburo said, "I'm happier that Mori won than that I did. I'm giving this to him as a gift so that he can continue to be our ace from here on out," as he handed the winning ball of his first win to his dutiful son. He continues to rack up wins while training the promising young player.

(Shunsuke Ami)

◆Kaito Mouri: Born September 14, 2003, in Fukuoka Prefecture. Age 22. He played for Fukuoka Ohori High School in the 2021 Spring Koshien Tournament, but lost to Tokai University Sagami in the quarterfinals. At Meiji University in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, he recorded ERA of 1.34 in last spring's league games, winning the Best ERA and being selected for the Best Nine team. His career record is 14 wins and 2 losses with ERA 1.46 in 28 games. He was drafted second overall by the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2025. 177 cm, 77 kg. Left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter. His estimated annual salary this season is 12 million yen.

◆Record Memo Rookie Mouri (Ro) opened the season pitcher at win. Together with Takemaru (Giant), he is the 8th or 9th rookie to open the season since the two-league system pitcher win. In the Pacific League, he is the fourth since Tadashi Sugiura (Nankai) in 1958. He is the second newcomer for a baseball team in 76 years, the first since Yoshinori Enohara in the Mainichi era.