◆ Pacific League: Softbank Hawks vs. Nippon-Ham (April 4th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Natsumi Hayashi (11), the great-grandson of the late Tadashi Sugiura, who won 187 games with Nankai and served as his last manager, took the mound at the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Wearing the same number "21" uniform as Sugiura during his playing days, he pitch with full power. He hit the catcher mitt with a two-bounce and smiled, saying, "I was nervous, but I'm glad I threw well. I thought, 'Grandpa, you're amazing.'"

After retiring as a player, Sugiura served as the manager of the Nankai Hawks from 1986 until the team was transferred to Daiei in 1988. He left a memorable speech at the final home game, saying, "I'm off now," and in 1989 he also served as the first manager of Daiei. The game against Nippon-Ham that day was held in Osaka, the former home stadium of the Nankai Hawks, as a "Nankai The Hawks Retro Night Game." Sugiura's second daughter, Keiko, also expressed her deep emotions, saying, "He loved The Hawks, so I think my father would be happy too."