This season, Lotte finished in last place for the first time since 2017. Young players were actively used in the interleague games, with Kyota Fujiwara, Misho Nishikawa, and Ryusei Terachi reaching the required number of at-bats, and Daito Yamamoto hitting 11 home runs, the most among Japanese players on the team. On the pitcher staff, Yuto Kimura from the start of the season, and even after being promoted to the starting rotation midway through the season, he fought through the year despite gaps between appearances. Shunsuke Nakamori and Haruya Tanaka also supported pitcher staff in the first half of the season.

Among the many young players emerging, one generation that is attracting attention is the "2005 generation." This generation includes Kimura, who pitched in 22 games, posting a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, 5 hold 1 ERA of 3.31, Terachi, who played in the "Mynavi All-Star Game 2025" and recorded a batting average of .256, 5 home Home Run, and 33 RBI, Oto Hayasaka Hayasaka, who pitched in 9 games including his professional debut, as well as development players Ryota Takeuchi, Konoshin Tomiyama, Shinya Matsuishi, and Kazuki Fujita, who was selected as the second development pick in the professional baseball draft held on the 23rd.

Kimura, Teraji, Toyama, and Matsuishi are taking part in the fall camp that began on the 29th. When we asked these four players about their "same-year" peers during the season, Toyama, who is also a catcher like Teraji, said, "I get inspiration from him every day, and the TV is on in the dorms, so I watch Teraji perform, and I want to get on that stage as soon as possible, so I work hard every day."

Matsuishi also expressed his fighting spirit, saying, "I can't beat Teraji in batting, and Kimura is pitcher, but to be honest, I still feel like I have a long way to go, so I'll do my best to catch up as soon as possible."

On the other hand, what do Kimura and Terachi, who played in the first team throughout the season, think about their fellow players?

Kimura said, "When I see Teraji's success, I don't feel jealous, but I also feel like I can do a lot more, and since we're classmates, I want to work hard together with him. I can't help but worry about my own results, so when I see Teraji's success, I don't want to be so impressed, but I feel like I can't let myself lose." Teraji's presence has helped Kimura to improve himself.

Terachi, whose name was mentioned by Kimura, Toyama, and Matsuishi, said, "I don't want to lose, and in the case of Maeda from yesterday (August 5th), the main reason is that he is my classmate. I can't lose to Kimura (who was being interviewed next to me) either." They are in a friendly rivalry.

I asked Teraji about the presence of players from his generation during pre-game practice for the game Softbank on August 6th, and since Softbank 's Yugo Maeda, who is also from the same year, had started the day before, I asked him if he wanted to be the "face of his generation." He humbly replied, "Hehe, I don't think I'm that good of a player, so I think Maeda will be able to become one," but he also resolved, "I want to produce results that are just as good as them." And as a professional baseball player, Teraji enthusiastically said, "I want to achieve results that are better than them."

The "2005 generation" have just completed their second year as professional baseball players. The last time Lotte won the league championship was in 2005. When players from this generation become central to the team, the league championship will be within reach.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita