Exhibition
● Chunichi 2 - 3 Rakuten ○
<March 21st Vantelin D>

Rakuten stopped their preseason losing streak at two. There were many positive signs for pitcher.

Hayakawa, who started the season pitcher for the second year in a row, was perfect through three innings against a right-handed hitter lineup Chunichi of hitters, and allowed back-to-back hits with one out in the fourth inning to put runners on first and second, but he got a strikeout struck out of Takashi Ishikawa in the fourth and a groundout of Hosokawa in the fifth to end the inning with a zero.

In his last appearance in the open game, he threw 50 pitches in 4 innings, 2 hit no runs and 4 strike out no walk. He gave momentum to the season opener Orix against Kyocera D Osaka on March 28.

In the fifth, he was converted to reliever and was a stable reliever with one hit no runs. Ehara, the No. 4 pick in the draft who entered the game in the sixth inning, pitched a perfect game for the second straight game to open the season with a 1.80 ERA. In the seventh inning, Nishiguchi returned to control and was runs. Fujihira gave up two runs in the eighth inning, but with a one-run lead in the ninth, Norimoto closed out the inning with his second consecutive runs relief.

Chunichi pitcher bases loaded In the 5th inning, Kofada hit a double to right to score the third run from Chunichi second baseman Sobue.