Nippon-Ham Ham pitcher Haruki Hosono (24), who will start in the home opener against Lotte on the 31st, vowed on the 30th to lead Shinjo's Fighters to their first win of the season. The 2023 first-round draft pick left-hander, who has been entrusted with this important role for the first time, said, "I have a strong image of (Ito) Hiroshi pitching there, so I feel even more strongly that I have to produce solid results. I will do my best to keep the score at zero." He has maintained his good form, strike out runs seven and allowing only one run in the middle of the sixth inning of the exhibition game against The Giants on the 14th (Tokyo Dome), and will take the mound at Escon with confidence.

During the offseason, he participated in Ito's individual training sessions, absorbing the secrets of an ace pitcher. After the exhibition game against the Taiwanese national team on February 27th (Taipei Dome), in closer hit and runs for three innings, Ito, who was participating in the WBC training camp, contacted him directly and said, "Your power is really good." Throughout the subsequent open games, he also received advice and insights after each appearance, and he expressed his gratitude for his mentor's kindness, saying, "He would tell me things like, 'That was a good pitch,' or 'You could do this pitch a little differently,' after each game, so I was very grateful."

On this day, he made his final adjustments with catch practice and other drills at Escon. The left-handed pitcher, who throws at a top speed of 158 km/h and earned his first professional win last season, said, "Honestly, based on my performance up until last year, I wonder if I'm good enough, but I want to pitch well and earn the trust of many people." He aims to shut down the Lotte lineup and deliver the first win of the season to the fans in Hokkaido. (Haruki Kawakami)