【Buffaloes Inside】

The 2026 Persol Pacific League regular season kicked off on March 27th. For the third consecutive year, pitcher Hiroya Miyagi served as the opening pitcher for Orix Buffaloes. This season, in addition to Miyagi, pitcher Shumpeita Yamashita, who had recovered from a back injury, and the experienced pitcher Alen Kuri were also strong candidates. However, the role was entrusted to Miyagi, who had just returned from the World Baseball Classic (WBC), for an unexpected reason and due to the absolute confidence that "Miyagi is our ace" (according to manager Mamoru Kishida).

"Miyagi will be our opening day pitcher. I know it's a bit difficult since he's just returned from the WBC, but he was very enthusiastic and seemed fine with the role." Manager Mamoru Kishida revealed the opening day pitcher shortly after 9 p.m. on March 20th, after the exhibition game against Hanshin Tigers (Kyocera Dome).

Throughout spring training and exhibition games, Orix Buffaloes' opening day pitcher was narrowed down to three candidates: Miyagi, who was participating in the WBC, Yamashita, and Kuri. Normally, it would be Miyagi, but depending on how far Samurai Japan advanced in the WBC, it would be difficult for him to start the season. At one point, Yamashita became the strongest candidate, but after pitching in the game against Lotte on March 11th (Zozo Marine Stadium), the condition of his right elbow did not improve. Manager Kishida confessed, "There was the WBC first, and then there was the season when Peta (Yamashita) was making his comeback, and of course Kuri is also a key player, so there were difficulties in those aspects." For him, Samurai Japan's defeat in the quarterfinals of the WBC was ultimately fortunate.

Miyagi returned to Japan on the 16th. On the 19th, at the team's facilities in Maishima, Osaka, manager Kishida, who had come to observe pitcher Yuki Udagawa 's practice game appearance, informed him that he would be the opening pitcher.

"You can feel his desire to lead the team to victory as our ace. He has the ability, of course, but I've felt since he joined the team that he's been quietly and diligently doing his best. He's also seriously preparing how to get the batters out. I've seen that from him, and as he's gotten older and gained more experience, he's become a presence that leads the team to victory, so I think he's truly doing the job of an ace," said manager Kishida, who has known Miyagi since his time as the minor league pitcher coach.

Since returning to Japan, Miyagi has only pitched two inning as the third reliever in a game against Hanshin Tigers on March 21st, but he confidently stated, "I'm doing well. I'm feeling great. I'll just do my best with what I can do at the time. I'll go as far as I can."

At the press conference the day before the opening, when the coaches of both teams were together, there was a scene where Rakuten Eagles 's coach Hajime Miki said, "(Miyagi) how many times will he throw?" "pitch, I'm not worried about the technical aspect, I think he will show a different side in terms of the confidence of playing with star players on the big stage of the WBC," Kishida said with full confidence.

The match was 2 runs with Miyagi Walk in the first inning and two doble. In the second inning, with two outs on first and second base, the back defense spread a pinch, and from there, he gave up 6 runs with 4 consecutive long and short hits, and decided to leave the mound in his worst 1 2/3 inning and 8 runs.

After the game, Miyagi reflected, "There were some pitches that weren't bad, and some that weren't. I think all of their players had good strikeouts in the zone, and I was a little overwhelmed by that, resulting in a series of balls. I think they were able to capitalize on the changes I made (in my pitching strategy)."

As for whether the difficulty in making adjustments after the WBC affected pitch his performance, he categorically denied it, saying, "I think it was a complete lack of skill and my own strength. I think all the bad parts came out, and I don't think I've been hit repeatedly as often as I have in the 20 or so games I've pitched in this year, so I'd like to change that. My body itself is totally fine, and I want to prepare for the next time.

As a result, some fans said that it would have been better to miss the opening pitcher with a large number of runs and entrust the opening to Alen Kuri pitcher. However, Naruki Teranishi pitcher, who switched from the starting rotation to the "second starter" in the opening game, closer 6 inning from the third inning to 2 runs, indicating that the winning pattern drawn by the leaders was not wrong if there were no defensive mistakes.

pitcher coach Kazuyuki Atsuzawa said, "Miyagi's pitches were good, weren't they? But that's baseball. It's still early in the season. It's up to the coaches to reflect on the results. We'll have Miyagi prepare for his next appearance," accepting the result as a coach while also expressing his expectations for Miyagi. Manager Kishida also reflected on the moment when Miyagi was hit hard, saying, "I didn't expect him to make contact like that," but added, "He just has to switch gears from here and aim for the next game."

This year's opening day pitcher selection was complicated by the uncertainty of the WBC schedule, compounded by Yamashita's poor physical condition. The coaching staff entrusted the team's crisis to their ace, and Miyagi tried to live up to that expectation. Although the result wasn't what they hoped for, it was a game filled with the hopes and aspirations of each player as they fought through the long 143-game season.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano