Softbank Hawks Hawks pitcher chief coach and head coordinator Shinji Kurano revealed on the 16th that the team will not be bound by a fixed six-man starting rotation even after the league season resumes, but will instead use pitchers flexibly. On this day, the team held pitcher practice at Mizuho PayPay Dome. With the interleague games over, Otsu is expected to start the first game after the league season resumes on the 19th against Nippon-Ham (at Escon Stadium).

In the interleague games, eight players, including young players like Maeda Yu and Almenta, took turns as starters. The relief pitchers were also stable, with Osuna, Matsumoto Yu, and Sugiyama forming a solid winning pattern. The team went 14-4, increasing their lead by 10 games. Coach Kurano summarized the 18 games in which the team fought together as one, saying, "Everyone did a great job. With the starting rotation not fixed, I think reliever pitchers supported the team. And the starters also fulfilled their minimum roles. To be honest, I feel they did better than I expected."

Uwasawa, who has been undergoing adjustments in the minor leagues due to a right elbow condition, made his second appearance since returning to the team on the 14th in a minor league game against Hanshin Tigers (at Tamasta Chikugo). The right-hander said he felt no pain, and coach Kurano also commented, "I think he'll be able to return as long as there are no physical problems." It appears that his adjustments for returning to the first team are in the final stages.

Regarding the league games that will resume on the 19th, he emphasized, "We have a lot of young players, so we don't have that many pitcher who can consistently make it through the rotation. We're thinking about how to give them proper rest. For that, I think we'll definitely need seven or eight pitchers."