Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito, who will start in the game against Lotte on the 12th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium), vowed on the 11th to fulfill his role on Tuesday.

He had been hoping to pitch on Tuesdays for some time. After starting four consecutive games with five days of rest in between, he finally made it to Tuesday after four weeks, starting on Saturday. "I like it, so it's the first start of the week, and I'm ready to give it my all for the week ahead. I think the outcome of Tuesday's games is very important for the outcome of the rest of the week, so I hope to create a good flow and a good atmosphere at the beginning of the week. That's a unique role that Tuesdays have, so I hope I can do that," he said enthusiastically.

He made his final adjustments at Escon that day. Regarding his condition, he said, "I think it's perfectly fine." As for his first appearance at ZOZO Marine Stadium this season, he said, "It's about how quickly I can grasp the characteristics of the wind on that day. I want to get a good grasp of that before I face my first jam and then pitch."