◆ Pacific League: Nippon-Ham vs. Seibu Lions (12th, ES CON FIELD)

As part of the "JCB Original Series Night Game," Daisuke Matsuzaka, who played for Seibu Lions and other teams, appeared to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. He appeared wearing a Seibu Lions uniform with number "18," but when his name was called, he took off Seibu Lions uniform and revealed Nippon-Ham uniform he was wearing underneath, thrilling baseball fans at Escon.

This was the first night game of the season with the roof open. Under the blue sky of the northern land, pitch he unleashed with a wind-up went far off target towards the third base dugout, resulting in a wild throw that catcher couldn't even catch. With a wry smile, he said, "I almost threw another one (laughs). I think it's partly because of the atmosphere of the stadium that ES CON FIELD has, but I was heading to mound mound how great the view was as I walked there."

Regarding Nippon-Ham uniform, he recalled, "It's The Fighters' home stadium, and when I received this offer, I said I wanted to wear The Fighters' uniform. I looked in the mirror to see how it looked, and I thought it was pretty good. I had a chance to wear The Fighters' uniform, and I ended up with The Lions in the lottery, but I got to wear The Fighters' uniform after 28 years, and I thought it looked cool."