◆ Pacific League: Softbank Hawks vs. Seibu Lions (December 12th, Mizuho PayPay)

Softbank Hawks Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo spoke to reporters before the game and expressed high expectations for catcher Yudai Yamamoto, who will be joining the team in a trade from DeNA. "He was Yokohama's starting catcher, so we have high expectations for him, including his hitting. Will he be registered on the 13th? Of course. We'll make sure his uniform is ready in time. He will dedicate his professional baseball career, which he has cultivated in Yokohama, to The Hawks. My image of him? The best catcher in Central League" he said.

Takashi Umino, who has been the starting catcher since last season, has been hampered by his hitting ability, with a batting average of .200, one Home Run, and six RBI this season. Manager Kokubo had been considering a highly offensive lineup where he would move regular third baseman Ryoya Kurihara Kurihara to catcher when the team was behind, but has now put that plan on hold. "We decided to stop the plan once it was decided that Yamamoto would come. He has contributed so much with his hitting, so I talked to Kurihara about it. We decided that it's not something we should do," he said. However, they plan to keep the option of using him as a third catcher in case of an emergency when they have two catcher.