◆ Pacific League vs. Softbank Hawks (18th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Stanford University infielder Rintaro Sasaki, who was selected first overall by Softbank Hawks Hawks in last fall's draft, has announced that he will be joining the Miami Marlins, who selected him in the eighth round of the MLB draft. Softbank Hawks 's Chief Baseball Officer (CBO), Kenji Johjima, released a statement regarding the decision.

"We and all The Hawks fans were eager to sign him, so it's disappointing, but we drafted him knowing he had a dream of playing in MLB, and we respect and admire his decision as he's a 21-year-old who has thought carefully about this path. If he goes on to become a world-class player, it will prove that our assessment was correct, and we wish him all the best in his future MLB career."

When Chief Building Officer Jojima met with Rintaro in Fukuoka City on the 1st, he offered him number 1 jersey. Rintaro also toured the team's facilities in Chikugo, Fukuoka, and showed strong interest.