◆ Pacific League Rakuten vs Softbank (1st, Rakuten Mobile)

Softbank Hawks 's new foreign pitcher, Xu Hsu Jo-Hsi, started the game and strike out six innings, allowing only three hit and no runs while striking out six. He left the game after 85 pitches, with the right to be winning pitcher. fastball reached a maximum speed of 155 km/h, and his changeup, which manager Kokubo described as a "fork-like change-up," and his curveball were also effective in change-up speed of his pitches.

"This was my first time pitching since coming to Japan, but I was able to trust catcher and throw with confidence. I think the fact that I was able to throw with good control overall led to today's result. There were some mistakes and things I need to reflect on, but I'm glad I was able to pitch well."

The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher, dubbed "Taiwan's treasure," used the overseas transfer system from the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Taiwanese professional baseball to join The Hawks last December on a massive 3-year, 1.5 billion yen contract. He also participated in this spring's World Baseball Classic as a member of the Taiwanese national team.