On the 4th, Lotte announced that pitcher Kota Futaki, who was released from the team this offseason, will retire from active play and become a team staff member.
Through the team, he commented, "Right now, I have nothing but gratitude. During spring training in my first year as a professional, I had the opportunity to practice with senior professional players for the first time, but I couldn't keep up with them and thought, ``I can't do this.'' But in the end, I was able to continue as a professional baseball player for 12 long years, and I believe it was only because of the support of everyone around me, including those who cheered me on. Thank you so much. From now on, I will do my best for The Marines as a team staff member. I would like to work hard for the team in return for all the support I have received up until now, so I hope you will continue to support me in the future.''
Niki joined Lotte in the 13th place in the 6th draft from Kagoshima Information. He made his first team debut in 15 and played a part in the starting lineup in 16 and won 7 wins. number went from 64 to 18 ace numbers in 20, winning 9 wins, the most of his career, and served as the opening pitcher in 21. However, due to breakdowns and rehabilitation, he did not appear in the first team for 23 and 24 years. In the last game of the season, on October 5th, in the Softbank game (ZOZO), he pitched for the first time in three years, but he was hit by bases loaded bullets by Yamakawa and left the mound in 4 runs in the first inning.
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