Nippon-Ham pitcher Ren Fukushima (23) vowed on the 27th to achieve his first win at Belluna Dome, demonstrating the effects of his sauna regimen. The right-hander, who will start against Seibu Lions on the 28th in search of his third win of the season, said, "I've been going to the sauna in preparation for this game. I guess you could call it heat acclimatization." This will be his second appearance at Belluna Dome, the first being on May 1, 2024, when he pitched five innings and runs. To prepare for pitching at the hot away grounds, he has been using the saunas at Escon and the players' dormitory in Sapporo. He follows a routine of three 10-minute sessions each day, and said, "I've become much stronger (against the heat)," indicating he has increased his tolerance.

This is their first meeting of the season against the leader Seibu Lions. Nevin was mentioned to the wary hitter, saying, "Even when it's bases loaded, it's not home run; I'm scared to see how you can hit that kind of (single hit)." On the 26th, with two outs in the seventh inning, he compactly hit Ito's outside slider bases loaded and hit a game-tying hit. Maximize the enemy's main guns that can perform team strikes according to the situation.

In his last appearance on the 13th, against Chunichi (at ESCON), he pitched 7 innings, pitched 3 hit 1 runs. The right-hander, who has recorded high-quality starts (7 or more innings with 2 earned runs or fewer) in three consecutive games, said, "I think my body feels light." The in-form 45 jersey shuts down the Shishi lineup. (Haruki Kawakami)