Considering that, after the recently concluded offseason, the overall strength of the SoftBank Team has clearly declined compared to the last season where they easily dominated:
In terms of pitching, Shetsu Shou, who is turning 34 this season, has been unable to stop his decline. Even though he still pitched over 130 innings across 20 games last season, his performance metrics have reached historical lows. Matsuzaka Daisuke, who was signed last offseason for a staggering 1.2 billion yen over three years, withdrew from preseason games due to a shoulder muscle issue and didn't pitch a single game the entire season. He underwent major surgery in August and has not yet been able to return.
Although the SoftBank Team's starting pitchers are well-stocked, losing their originally planned number two and three pitchers can easily impact the team's performance if any injuries occur during the season.
