On the 27th, ahead of the opening game against Nippon-Ham (Belluna D), Seibu Lions manager Fumiya Nishiguchi (52) declared that he would manipulate manager Shinjo, just as he did when he was still playing, and that the team would win three straight games to start the season.
He responded to the verbal attack head-on with a grin. "Nippon-Ham is a team with no weaknesses. I don't know if Shinjo himself has many weaknesses, so I want to exploit them." At a press conference the day before, Nippon-Ham manager Shinjo warned Imai, "(Opening pitcher) Imai has about two quirks in his preparatory movements," but he was completely unfazed, saying, "I don't know if it's true or not." When the two managers were still active, Nishiguchi won by a landslide, with 1 hit 11 At Bat-bats for a batting average of .91. "I should have curved the ball," he said, seeing through his boss's quirks and closer, and this time too, he said, "I'm going in with the intention of winning three games in a row," and the word "lose" is not on his mind.
Imai, who was declared the war, also prepared to face the challenge head on, saying, "I just want to win." The Lions, quietly burning blue flames, made a smart start. (Ayami Onaka)
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