Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito (28) expressed his desire on the 1st to achieve his second consecutive shutout game, the first being on September 18, 2024, against Softbank Hawks Hawks (at Mizuho PayPay Dome). The ace, who will start against the Hiroshima Carp on the 2nd (at Mazda Stadium), said, "The pitching after shutout game is important. I want to take it one out at a time and get as many outs as possible." In his last start on May 26 Hanshin Tigers Tigers (Koshien), he pitched a complete win shutout game with 13 strike out in nine innings, and he is aiming to continue his impressive performance on the road and take a league-leading seventh win.

In his previous start, he said, "I was able to use both sides of the plate effectively in the early innings, and then I was able to finish them off with my fastball," completely shutting down the powerful Hanshin Tigers lineup including Morishita and Sato Teru. "The proportion of my pitch was good last time. I didn't throw too many fastballs, and it felt like fastballs and slider each made up a little over 30%. The overall balance of using a variety of pitches evenly over nine innings was a great learning experience for both me and (catcher Tamiya) Yuya," he said, describing it as a significant discovery.

At Mazda Stadium, he earned win in 2021 with 6 innings pitcher and only 1 runs run, but he has suffered two consecutive losses in 2022 and 2024. "I really like the atmosphere. However, if you ask me if I pitched exceptionally well there, I don't really have that image," he reflects. On this day, under clear skies, he made his final adjustments at Escon and flew to Hiroshima. Hiroshima is on a six-game losing streak and has lost all of their interleague games, but the rising Sawamura Award-winning right-hander is looking to dominate Central League, saying, "There's nothing scarier than a team on a losing streak. I think they'll fight desperately, so I want to attack them aggressively."