Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito (28) quietly expressed his determination to defeat Softbank Hawks on the 18th. The right-hander, who will start the first game after the interleague series against Softbank Hawks on the 19th (at Escon Stadium), said with conviction, "I think it's good to be a little nervous. I think that's what everyone on the team is thinking, and everyone should be nervous about getting the first win."

The team is currently on an eight-game losing streak against Softbank Hawks, a club-worst record. He himself has started two games and suffered one loss with ERA of 8.74, failing to produce results. "I think we were probably too conscious of them. We've been beaten by them for two years in a row, and we haven't been able to play our usual baseball. Even when we're doing well, we get overturned in the second half, or our starting pitcher gets beaten in the middle innings, or our relievers get beaten. I think there won't be any problems as long as we can get our minds together. But tomorrow, I think we should all be extra motivated." The ace, who is in good form with seven wins tied for the league lead, will lead the charge.

In his previous start on the 9th against DeNA (at Escon Stadium), he complete game win, allowing only 5 hit 1 runs in 9 innings. Now, he's taking mound again after a 9-day break. During that time, he focused on recovery, but also spent time studying Softbank Hawks batting lineup. He particularly looked to Yakult 's Okugawa, a fellow right-hander, for inspiration. Okugawa pitched shutout game win against Softbank Hawks on the 14th, and Okugawa said, "Whether I can do what he did is another matter, but there were hints I got from his recent performance," showing the results of his research.

"I think this will be a very important game. The other teams are strong, The Lions and Orix Buffaloes are strong, but we've lost to The Hawks for two years in a row, so there's something meaningful about meeting The Hawks at such a crucial time. I want to pitch in a way that will allow us to secure the win." The interleague series finished with a 14-4 record. Shinjo's absolute ace will show his determination to the reigning champions as they aim for the league championship.