◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham vs. Lotte (31st, ESCON)

A spectacular opening ceremony took place before the game. The stadium lights dimmed, and a show featuring sound, light, and flames was held using the LED screens that had been extensively expanded this year. The large screens showed not only footage of Nippon-Ham, but also videos featuring the opposing team, the Lotte Marines, manager Saburo and captain Soto.

Each Nippon-Ham player was called out as they entered the field. While many players performed the "Domire Pose," a pose related to this year's team slogan "Domire!", Kitayama delighted the crowd by performing the "Ocha-tate Pose," which he devised and which became a hot topic during the WBC. At the end of the ceremony, fireworks were launched in a way that could be seen from the glass wall behind center field.