Nippon-Ham pitcher Koki Kitayama (26) will make his first start of the season against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April 1st (at Escon Stadium). He was originally scheduled to pitch in the second game of the season against Softbank Hawks Hawks (at Mizuho PayPay Dome), but his start was changed to the second game of the season to prioritize his condition after the WBC. "It's been a challenging adjustment period, but I'm doing my best to do everything I can during this time. It's a results-oriented world, so I want to do my best to produce results in tomorrow's game," he said enthusiastically.

He also mentioned the difference between the WBC ball and the NPB ball. He said there is a difference in the timing of when the force from his fingers is transferred to the ball when throwing a fastball, and added, "The feeling is coming back, but it's difficult. I still feel like it's not that easy, so I'm honestly still worried about how that will show up in a game, but there's no point in dwelling on it, so I'll just have to accept it and do my best."

Furthermore, a total of 12 Home Run were hit in the three games of the opening series against Softbank Hawks. "Everyone's saying it, but it feels like the ball is flying further lately (laughs), and Escon is small, so if that's really the case, the content of my pitching will change, and I think there are various things I can observe, such as how far the ball will fly against the opposing batters' swings, while watching Hosono's pitching today, so I want to pitch tomorrow with that in mind," he analyzed.

The opening three-game series saw them suffer a painful three-game sweep against the reigning champions, Softbank Hawks. "I thought it was entirely possible, and of course our team has strengthened and has a richer roster, but that doesn't mean The Hawks have become weaker. They were strong last year too, and I didn't think that would change, so I didn't think they would be an easy opponent at all, and I'm not surprised. It made me realize once again that we need to keep our feet firmly on the ground and do what we need to do, so I want to work hard to create good momentum for the team again," he said emphatically.