Softbank manager Hiroki Kokubo, who led the team to consecutive league championships, celebrated his 54th birthday on the 8th, and after the team's practice at Mizuho PayPay Dome, he was presented with a birthday cake and other gifts from the press. Owner Masayoshi Son presented him with fine wine and flowers. "Every year on my birthday, I think it's a day to thank my mother for giving birth to me. She passed away in 2017, but I'm celebrating this day with the feeling of gratitude that she gave birth to me with such a strong body," he said, expressing his gratitude.
Last season, the team entered the Japan Series as Pacific League champions, lose to DeNA, who finished third in Central League. "I have made it a rule for myself not to get carried away with the season that has just ended. The sense of loss I felt when we didn't become number one in Japan last year remains very strong in my mind. It's only once we've achieved that feat (winning number one in Japan) that you can say it was a good season. I want to prepare thoroughly for the next mountain, and the one after that, so that 2025 can end on a truly good note," he said.
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