◆Preseason game: Lotte 2-3 Softbank (7th, ZOZO)

Softbank Richard bit his lip after a disastrous day of 4 struck out 1 blunders. He played in the "preliminary" match against Lotte Kojima in the opening game (Mizuho Paypay) on the 28th at No. 6 and first base. The left-hander's breaking ball was completely out of sync and he fell to struck out in two consecutive at-bats. If you leave a good impression, you will take a big step forward in the opening starting line-up, but the result is the exact opposite. Coach Kokubo expressed the reality by saying, "Chances are pinches."

The hypothetical opening order with Kojima in mind was only Yamakawa's 1 hit until the 5th inning. The coach said, "Most of the players are just starting out (in the actual game). It was good to see the ball in play," he said, stressing the mainstay of the team's harvest, but the "test group" was a different story. The 25-year-old cannonballer, who is expected to awaken, continued to score 2 struck out more runs after Kojima's surrender, and in the ninth inning, he blundered at third base. The result was disappointing in an important game, as he had been batting at a 40% clip in open games up until the previous game.

Shoji (Kanagawa University), the second-round draft pick who came in as a pinch runner in the seventh inning, stole second base, leading to a run. He also bunted a hit to bring about a comeback in the ninth inning. He fulfilled the role expected of him, and manager Kokubo said, "It's his strength." As the time comes when the situations and opponents become more realistic, opportunities to show off are two sides of the same coin. (Ando Osamu)