Orix Buffaloes pitcher Sean Hjelle will start against Hanshin Tigers on the 13th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). In his last start on the 5th against Hiroshima (Mazda Stadium), he pitched a tenacious 5 innings, allowing 5 hit and no runs, but did not get the win or loss. "I certainly think those two are good players, but looking at the other players in the entire baseball world, there isn't a single player I'm taking lightly. I want to get each and every one of them out properly according to the game plan," he said, emphasizing a relaxed approach while being wary of Teruaki Sato and Morishita, who participated in the WBC in March.

"Soccer is a fantastic sport worldwide. My home country, the United States, is also participating, so I'm interested to see how things go," said the 213cm right-hander, who also expressed interest in the World Cup which kicked off on the 12th. "My main goal is to get an out on the first pitch. I want to be out after 27 pitches," he said, envisioning the ultimate "perfect game."