Rakuten Eagles Eagles pitcher Takahisa Hayakawa (28) practiced at his home stadium, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park, on the 9th, in preparation for his starting appearance against Softbank Hawks Hawks on the 10th (at Mizuho PayPay Dome).

This season, he has a record of 4 wins and 3 losses in 11 games, ERA of 2.04. He has a perfect record against Softbank Hawks, with 2 wins in 2 games and ERA of 1.20. Looking ahead to his next win, he said, "They have mobility, but their power hitting is what's really appealing. They have a lot of players who can hit for power regardless of whether they're right-handed or left-handed, so I'd like to pitch with the mindset that single hit are okay."

He celebrated his 28th birthday on the 6th. "I can't believe I'm 28 already, but I'm now somewhere in the middle of the team, so I want to live my life with a sense of responsibility," he vowed.

Despite being 17 games behind and in last place in Pacific League, they are neck and neck with the league leaders Softbank Hawks, who are 17 games ahead, with a 6-6 record. They will be hoping to gain momentum with a strong pitching performance from Hayakawa in the first game of the series.