Orix Buffaloes 's Kotaro Kobayashi vows on his 24th birthday, "I'm the oldest man in the world, so I want to make this my year." "I want to achieve results that no one else can achieve." | Pacific League

[Orix Buffaloes] Kotaro Kobayashi vows on his 24th birthday, "As the oldest man in the world, I want to make this year Kurebayashi's year" and "I want to achieve results that make people think that no one else could have achieved it."

Sports Hochi

February 7, 2026 20:33

Kotaro Kobayashi, whose birthday is February 7th, is presented with a birthday cake by Sho Fukunaga (right) (photographer: Shinya Iwakawa)

Orix Buffaloes infielder Kotaro Kobayashi has made a "24-year-old vow." The starting short stop, whose birthday was on the 7th, smiled as he received congratulations from his teammate Fukunaga. "As I'm the oldest man in the world, I want to make this the year of Kurebayashi. I want to show a different side of Kurebayashi," he said as he bit into his birthday cake.

In 2013, he played in 116 games, batting .260 with 9 Home Run and 43 RBI, winning his first Golden Glove Award, but what he wants from himself is to achieve "outstanding" results. "I want to be an irreplaceable player, to produce results that make people think I'm the only one who can do it," he vowed to explode in his seventh year.