Kodai Senga, who won the team's top 10 wins at the professional baseball softbank last year, will be the opening pitcher for the first time in three years this season.
Softbank will face Nippon Ham under the direction of new director Tsuyoshi Shinjo on the opening card that will be held at the PayPay Dome on the 25th of next month.
Director Hiroshi Fujimoto said on the 15th at a campsite in Miyazaki City that "the opening pitcher wants to go to Chiga" and revealed that he has nominated Chiga as the opening pitcher for this season.
Director Fujimoto said, "I'm the most trusted pitcher, and I've experienced the big stage.
Pitcher Chiga showed his enthusiasm with a joke, saying, "I feel like doing it. I don't know if Director Shinjo will be at bat."
Pitcher Chiga is in his 12th year as a professional from training, and although he pitched only in the starting 13 games last season due to the influence of his injury, he scored the most winning stars in the team with a record of 10 wins and 3 losses for the sixth consecutive year. Marked a double-digit victory.
This is the third time that Pitcher Chiga has been the opening pitcher for the first time in three years.