Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito made his final adjustments at the same location on the 9th in preparation for his start against Seibu Lions on the 10th (at Escon Stadium).

Both series, starting on the 10th, will be a three-game series against second-place Seibu Lions, followed by a three-game series against first-place Softbank Hawks starting on the 14th, both at Escon Stadium. This is the biggest challenge of the first half of the season, with the top teams playing at home, and Ito will start the first game against Seibu Lions on the 10th.

Ito quietly expressed his fighting spirit, saying, "There's a huge difference between starting with a win and starting with a loss. In terms of momentum, I hope pitch that will give me a good start."

He hadn't recorded a win in his last two games, and in the game against Lotte on the 8th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium), his teammate Takashi Kato earned his ninth win, putting him at the top of the league standings. The right-hander, who is trailing by just one win, said, "I want to try to catch up tomorrow, although that's not everything. I want to pitch with the team's win as my priority."