"Looking at this year's results, it's obvious I can't take that much time off."

Lotte's Shuta Ishikawa is participating in the fall practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, which began on the 8th. Ishikawa, who transferred to Lotte from Softbank last offseason as a free agent, pitched in 19 games and 103 1/3 innings this season, his first year since the transfer, with a record of 4 wins, 7 losses, and ERA of 4.62.

In my coverage of Lotte to date, there have been very few cases of pitcher over 30 with a proven track record participating in fall training. This year's fall training included 29-year-old Kazuya Ojima, who has reached the required innings pitched for five consecutive years, and 27-year-old Atsuki Taneichi, who was selected to represent Japan in the "LUXAS Samurai Japan Series 2025" to be held on November 15th and 16th. However, last year Kojima and Taneichi were not on the fall training roster at Zozo Marine Stadium. That's why I was surprised to see players who joined the team this season as free agents taking part in fall training.

Shuta Ishikawa explained, "With the new system, I think Saburo has his own team policies in mind, so it's not like I have an option to participate in fall practice, and there are fewer reasons not to. I'm doing my running well and working through the various issues that I have."

"Even so, I've only pitched about 100 inning (this season). I don't think there's any need to rest my body. I can rest after my baseball career is over, and it's my first year with The Marines, so I don't see any reason not to do it or come (to fall practice). It's just a matter of whether I'm in this environment or doing it myself, so I don't think anything will change. With the new manager, I'll be able to communicate better, so in that sense it's only a positive thing," he said, training with a positive attitude.

When asked about the challenges he is working on this fall, Ishikawa said, "I feel like I'm not putting out enough power, which is a big problem for me, so I need to make some adjustments to my mechanics and work on getting my stamina in order." He continued, "In terms of challenges, as a team we need to work on things like a quick pitch, which is one element that gives me an advantage on mound, even before anything is decided by the team. If we don't work on those things, it will be difficult to win. I feel like my challenge is to look at each and every area where I'm weak and work on that."

"Injuries are bad, but if I'm afraid of getting injured I won't be able to break through the wall. I'm getting older and I need to make one more push, so being able to work in an environment like this is a big thing. I guess I'll just do my best and be grateful for the environment."

This season, his first year after transferring as a free agent, ended with disappointing results, but with veteran players leaving one after another this offseason and the team rejuvenating, the team needs the help of experienced players with a proven track record. In particular, Shuta Ishikawa won the league and Japan championships multiple times during his time with Softbank, and is one of the few players who knows the difficulty and joy of winning. When The Marines join the championship race next season, his "experience of winning" will undoubtedly be a great asset. Now that he's accustomed to his new environment, he's already preparing to show his true potential in his second year.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita