On the 24th, Softbank Hawks pitcher Tomohisa Ozeki renewed his contract at the team office at Mizuho PayPay Dome, signing for an annual salary of 170 million yen, an increase of 80 million yen. This season he recorded a career-high 13 wins and also won the title for the highest winning percentage. Having joined the ranks of billion-yen players, he vowed, "I'm very happy and grateful. I want to get even bigger," and enthusiastically stated that his goal for next season is "around 15 to 16 wins."
He also expressed his desire to take on the American baseball world through the posting system in the future. He has been communicating this to the team for the past two years, but he reiterated his desire. This system has never been used by Softbank Hawks before. While the current policy remains unchanged, the left-hander revealed, "We are a team that aims to be number one in the world. If posting is an option that overlaps with our vision of being number one in the world, I wanted to ask for your help." They also discussed the motivation of young players and the circulation of resources, "in order to make the team stronger." GM Mikasa responded, "If this is a positive idea, please continue to talk about it in the future, and I'll take the time."
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