Olympic bronze medalist Mitsuki Ono appears at the opening ceremony of the Saitama Seibu Lions Lions home opener

Saitama Seibu Lions will hold six matches on Belluna Dome from March 31st (Tuesday) to April 5th (Sunday) as the "2026 Opening Series". As a guest of the home opener on Tuesday, March 31, the first game, Mitsuki Ono, a member of the Japan snowboard women's halfpipe team from Saitama Prefecture, will come to the venue and will pitch at the first pitch ceremony.

In addition, Shinya Kiyotsuka, an enthusiastic The Lions fan and one of Japan's leading pianists, also attended the home opening ceremony on the same day. Kiyotsuka will perform a live performance of the song "WE ARE ONE" and the national anthem "Kimigayo" produced for The Lions.

▼Mitsuki Ono's comment▼
"Hello The Lions fans, this is Mitsuki Ono. This time, I am very happy to have been approached on the special day of the home opener of Saitama Seibu Lions, a local Saitama team!　It's my first time throwing the first pitch, so I'm a little nervous, but I want to throw it as hard as I can and enjoy it with all my might!"

◇Talk show featuring comedians such as Chiba Lotte Marines 's "Pecopa"

Chiba Lotte Marines will be holding a talk show featuring comedians who are Chiba Lotte Marines fans at the Saitama Seibu Lions game to be held at Zozo Marine Stadium on Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28th.

Takashi from Trendy Angel and Yuto Kimoto from 20th Century will be in attendance on the 27th, and Taiyu Matsuinji and Shupei from Pekopa will be in attendance on the 28th. On the special stage in front of the stadium, they will liven up the stadium with pre-game talks together with assistant MC Mei Kuroki.

▼Comment from Trendy Angel Takashi▼
"Last year we finished in last place, which was disappointing. However, if you just look at standings, it's disappointing, but Nishikawa was named Rookie of the Year. Terachi played throughout the season and gained experience. There was also a lot of good news, such as Dynamite Yamamoto hitting double-digit Home Run. So, this year, if the young players and veterans can work together, I think we can win! On the day of the event, we'll be talking at full throttle about our passion for The Marines, so let's get excited together before the game!"

◇Five players selected for the cover of Fukuoka Softbank magazine "anan"

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks special edition of "anan," featuring Fukuoka Fukuoka Softbank players on the cover, will be released on Friday, May 1st. Ahead of the release, the cover was unveiled today.

The five players featured on the cover this time pitcher pitcher Yuki Matsumoto, Ryosuke Otsu, Isami Nomura, Tatsuru Yanagimachi Tatsuya, and Tomoya Masaki. In addition to special photo shoots of them in suits and casual styles, the magazine will also feature interviews that reveal their thoughts on the season and their true selves. Additionally, behind-the-scenes videos of the shoot will be released on the team's official social media accounts.

◇ Asuka Saito will throw the first pitch at Fukuoka Softbank opening game, and Yoshio Inoue will sing the national anthem.

Fukuoka Softbank announced that Asuka Saito, who is active as an actor and talent, will be the first pitch ceremony at the opening game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham to be held on MIZUHO PayPay Dome on Friday, March 27th, and Yoshio Inoue, an actor who is active mainly in musicals, will sing the national anthem.

▼Asuka Saito's comment▼
"Thank you for this precious opportunity, I'm excited from now on, but I'll do my best to pitch while having fun!"

▼Yoshio Inoue's comment▼
"I am very honored to be able to sing the national anthem solo in the opening match of The Hawks, which was the best in Japan last year, and I am also grateful to be able to sing it in my hometown of Fukuoka as my second national anthem solo in MIZUHO PayPay Dome FUKUOKA. I will sing as much as I can so that both the The Hawks and The Fighters teams can get off to a good start."

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