◆ Pacific League: Softbank Hawks vs. Seibu Lions (Mizuho PayPay)

catcher Yudai Yamamoto, who joined Softbank Hawks in a trade from DeNA, greeted his teammates in a huddle before practice on the 13th, saying, "I don't know anything about the game, but please take care of me." Immediately afterward, Taiga Kamichatani teammate of Yamamoto's at DeNA, stepped forward as his mentor and, acting like a general manager, said, "His passion for baseball is second to none, no, twice, eight times, or even more than that. We welcomed him with confidence that he will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the team," drawing laughter from the crowd.

The day before, Kamichatani had also given a lengthy LINE message about The Hawks. Yamamoto Yu thanked him, saying, "He taught me about the differences between the Hawks and The BayStars. He said that the travel (for away games) is incredibly tough. I need to get used to that."