Nippon-Ham s Hiromi Ito pitcher (28) vowed revenge for the loss Softbank Hawks in the season opener on March 10. Softbank Hawks In the season opener pitcher against Mizuho Peipay on March 27, he gave up three hits in six innings of a 5 runs game. The right-hander, who will start the same game on March 11, said, "I finally threw a pro baseball pitch yesterday bullpen and it felt completely different from the last time. The feeling is totally different from the last time I pitched. I'm going to pitch by myself," he declared complete game with a quiet fighting spirit.

Last season, he started the most games against Softbank Hawks, seven in total, and earned three wins. This season, he will already face off against them for the second time, once again against his former teammate, Uwasawa. "We're good friends, so it's really fun, but since it's a team sport, I hope that if we both enjoy ourselves, it will result in a good outcome for the team," he said, looking forward to pitching against his respected senior right-hander. They are just one game behind league leaders Softbank Hawks. If they can win both games against the absolute champions, Shinjo's Fighters will gain momentum. (Haruki Kawakami)