Among the members of the Japan National Team that won the WBC = World Baseball Classic in baseball, the Giants and Rakuten players who will face each other in the opening game on the 24th joined the team before the game at the Tokyo Dome to prepare for the start of the season.
The Japan National Baseball Team defeated the United States in the WBC final held in Miami, Florida on 21 June local time to win their third title in three tournaments before returning to Japan on 3 June.
Among the members of the roster, Giants pitcher OKAMOTO Kazuma, OSHIRO Takuzo, TOGO Shoyuki, and Daigo pitcher and Rakuten pitcher MATSUI Hiroki joined the team for the pre-game training session for the opening game at the Tokyo Dome.
After receiving a knock in the third defensive position, Okamoto batted freely, and even the day after returning to Japan, he showed no signs of fatigue and threw sharp balls.
Okamoto said, "I slept well, I was able to train well, and when I turned on the TV, I felt the excitement of doing a lot of WBC events. We will start the season to avoid injury Japan we will try to contribute to the championship."
Togo also expressed his enthusiasm for the season, saying, "My teammates told me 'Congratulations on your hard work and the best in the world,' and I want to use my experience on that stage to fight with self-awareness for the Giants' championship."
Before the start of the match, a ceremony was held to celebrate the WBC victory, and five members of the national team from both teams appeared with gold medals hanging from their necks, and bouquets of flowers were handed to them by Giants coach Tatsunori Hara and Rakuten coach Kazuhisa Ishii.