Lotte's fall practice was held at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 27th.

Atsuki Taneichi, who was selected to represent Japan in the "LUXAS Samurai Japan Series 2025 Japan vs. Korea" to be held on November 15th and 16th, pitched in the live BP and threw 16 pitches to Kyuto Ueda and 10 pitches to Atsuki Tomosugi, a total of 26 pitches.

Ryusei Terachi who received Taneichi's pitches, commented, "The strength of the pitch itself hasn't changed at all, and the sharpness of the pitch hasn't changed much either, which is good." He also said that he threw fastball, fork, and slider that day.

During the fall practice, Teraji himself practiced defense practice one-on-one with coach Naoya Emura almost every day after the team practice. I wonder if he was able to show what he had been working on in individual practice in the live BP with Taneichi.

"There were some things I was able to do and some things I wasn't able to do, but today I was able to identify some issues, and we still have the training camp ahead of us, so I hope to be able to work on the areas where I didn't do well."

When asked specifically about his challenges, he said, "When I go to catch the ball, my center of gravity always tends to lean to the left," and looked ahead, saying, "I think I'm starting to see how to practice, so it's just a matter of how I get my body used to it."

On this day, after the team practice was over, he did one-on-one defense practice with Coach Emura.

Kyota Fujiwara: "I've found a batting form that suits me."

Kyota Fujiwara said, "Starting this fall, I'm trying to swing in a way that will make long hits the basis," and is aiming for a batting style that aims for "long hits" from this fall.

Recently, many angled hits have been flying into the right-field stands. Fujiwara said with a satisfied look on his face, "Today wasn't so good, but my feeling is getting much better."

He often talks with batting coach Kenta Kurihara during breaks in batting practice. Perhaps this is a way for Fujiwara to refine his own sensibility.

"Yes, they work together with me and think about it, so I think I've found a batting form that suits me."

When asked what he pays attention to when aiming for a long hit, he explained, "When you hit a long hit, you have to move the point forward, so I do move it forward, but not too far forward. To prevent the ball from being thrown forward, I pull the bat with a trajectory that hits in the opposite direction. Rather than opening my right shoulder and pulling, I try to be conscious of hitting with a swing that is my own style."

Regarding the weight and length of his bat, he said, "I'll check it out a bit during the off-season," suggesting that his bat may be different by next year's spring training camp.

Looking ahead to the Miyakonojo autumn camp starting on the 29th, he said enthusiastically, "I think the training will be hard, so first of all I want to do my best to keep up with the training."

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita