◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Orix Buffaloes vs. Hanshin Tigers (June 12, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Hiroto Fukumori, a graduate of the prestigious Osaka Toin hardball baseball division and a fighter against rare cancer, pitched at the ceremonial first pitch before the game. This was made possible thanks to Yasuhito Imanaka, president of Sense Trust Co., Ltd., who sponsored this match, and was an alumnus of the school's baseball division. With his wife Seiran and his classmate Tomoya Mori, who had shared both hardships and joys in high school, watching over him, he gave his all from mound pitch.

Moritomo was sidelined due to an upper body injury and was unable to play catcher, but he still managed to throw a no-bounce pitch for the second year in a row. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Imanaka and all the team staff for creating this opportunity. I have always lived my life with the understanding that it is not something to be taken for granted, so I am truly filled with gratitude," he reflected.

In 2013, during his third year of high school, Fukumori played as outfielder and participated in Koshien in both the spring and summer seasons. He had a spectacular performance in the spring tournament, going 3 hit RBI At Bat in the summer tournament, going 6-At Bat-11 RBI hit In the summer tournament, he hit walk-off single in the second round against Nichikawa (Yamanashi). After attending Ritsumeikan University, he was diagnosed with two rare cancers in 2021 while working as a professional.

What encouraged me during my battle with illness was seeing Moritomo perform well in matches. "I heard that he got injured while he was fighting...but even so, he was still watching me,

He emphasized, "I'm always grateful to Tomoya for always supporting me, including his playing."

"I've learned a lot from being ill. I feel like I've lived a good life, a wonderful life. I hope that as many people as possible will understand that health comes first, that health is the foundation of life." His motto is "I will win in the end!!" He continues to move forward with strength, drawing strength from the view he saw from mound.