Rakuten Eagles ・ Kenta Maeda pitcher (38) will start in the game against the Hanshin Tigers on the 17th (Koshien). In his first season back in the NPB after an 11-year absence, he has a record of 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA in five appearances this season (ERA). If he earns his first win of the season (win), it will be his first victory in the NPB in 3,911 days.

This will be his first appearance on the first team in about a month. He will be facing Hanshin Tigers, last season's Central League champions. "They won the championship last year, and they have good hitters and skilled hitters, and I think they have a very cohesive batting lineup. They have a lot of good hitters in the cleanup spot in particular, so I want to be careful when I pitch," he said cautiously.

This will be his mound on Koshien since 2015. "It's been a really long time, so I'm looking forward to it. I pitched a lot at Koshien, so I don't have any particularly bad memories of it, and I feel like it's easy to pitch there, so I'm looking forward to it," he said, looking forward to it.

In games hosted by Central League, pitcher are allowed to bat. With both leagues adopting the designated hitter system next season, this could be his "last at-bat." Expectations are high for his batting prowess, which saw him hit a home run in his MLB debut game. "I haven't batted in about six years, so I'm a bit rusty, but Rakuten Eagles pitcher haven't gotten a hit yet, so I want to finish it off with a hit," he said enthusiastically.