Nippon-Ham pitcher Koki Kitayama made his final adjustments at the same location on the 29th in preparation for his start against Orix Buffaloes (at Escon Stadium). He worked up a sweat with catch practice and short sprints.

In his last game against Lotte on the 23rd (at Escon Stadium), he pitched a complete game shutout game, allowing only three hit. He has been undefeated since May, winning six straight games, but he revealed his mental growth, saying, "I'm not thinking about it at all. I'm not saying I'm not thinking about it on purpose, but I'm really just in a neutral state. As I've gotten older, I've developed a sense of not getting too excited or discouraged, and whether things go well or badly, I'm able to move forward to the next game."

Orix Buffaloes was an opponent they had faced for three consecutive weeks from late April. Having overcome the "three-game series" with two wins and one loss, he showed confidence about the fourth matchup, saying, "It's not any more difficult than playing for three consecutive weeks (laughs). I've had a chance to reset, and they've also seen a variety of pitcher in between. Since it's a home game, the atmosphere of the stadium is also familiar, and it's a stadium where I can easily pitch at my own pace, so I don't think I need to worry too much."

Kitayama admitted he wasn't very knowledgeable about soccer, but he said he could feel the excitement surrounding the World Cup from news reports and such. "When I was with the Samurai Japan team, I was there subjectively, so I didn't really understand the feeling that the whole of Japan was paying attention. But now that I've stepped back and watched this World Cup, I've realized that everyone is interested and enjoying it. It made me think again, objectively, that we, as baseball players, should do our best and bring joy to everyone once more," he said.