There were four preseason exhibition games, known in Japan as “open games,” on Thursday. This told us precious little about what to expect when Nippon Professional Baseball’s major leagues open their season on March 25, except that there will be a season, which given the bullshit being spread around by MLB owners, is encouraging.

A day after looking as over-matched at the plate as they did much of the 2021 season, the Chunichi Dragons bounced back to beat the SoftBank Hawks 5-3. The Dragons’ second-round pick, outfielder Kosuke Wakai, bounced back from a two-strikeout game on Wednesday with a double, a homer two runs and two RBIs.