Nippon-Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) announced that pitcher Leo Shibata (20), who was promoted to the first team starting today, will be utilized as a two-way player.

Manager Shinjo explained the intent behind the promotion, stating, 'Mole (Reyes) has a bit of a (bad) heel. It can't be helped. I'll have him in the starting line-up today, and tomorrow Shibata will go in as the DH,' confirming Shibata's use as the DH on the 9th while expressing concern for the star slugger's heel condition. Meanwhile, on this day, he was on standby in the bullpen as a reliever.

On this day, after completing the pitcher menu such as playing catch, Shibata participated in free batting in the final group. He even hit a massive shot into the center-field batter's eye, and the manager showed high expectations for him as a hitter, saying, 'He's not doing so well on this side (pitching). But he's incredibly good on this side (hitting). Did you see the free batting? Twenty years old? It's happening right now. Look at his performance in the farm league. Not just the results, but the quality. The way he's hitting the ball is great. The opponents probably don't have any data on him yet. For now, they'll just have to throw and see which pitches he can't hit.'

Shibata appeared in 6 games as a pitcher this season (2 starts) with an ERA of 2.61. As a hitter, he played as a two-way player batting 7th as the pitcher in the game against Hiroshima (Mazda) on June 4th, going 0 hits in 2 At Bats. In the minor leagues, he recorded 8 Home Runs and improved his condition as a hitter, hitting 5 Home Runs in August alone.