On the 22nd, Orix pitcher Kosei Yoshida renewed his contract at the players' dormitory in Konohana Ward, Osaka City, signing for an annual salary of 28 million yen, a decrease of 9 million yen (estimated amount). This season, his seventh year as a professional, he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in March, and for the first time in his professional career, he did not pitch in the first team. He has been through a steady rehabilitation period, and reflected, "It was a year spent feeling joy in small, ordinary things, like being able to straighten my arm."
His progress is going well, and he is aiming to make the first team at the start of next season. He also started pitch bullpen during the fall camp. His long throws have improved to about 90 meters, and he feels that "the intensity is also increasing, and I feel that I am doing a good job of rehabilitation." He is also impressed with his sense of catch. "The trajectory of the ball has clearly changed. It's like I've gone back to a trajectory that I've never seen since I turned pro. It's like I'm remembering for the first time in a long time whether the trajectory of the ball was like that in high school. I thought that maybe there was something wrong with it from my first year," he revealed.
"It would be best if I could return in the best condition I've ever been in. I want to perform as well as I did in the past two years next year," he declared. In 2024, his first year after being traded from Nippon-Ham he made 50 appearances, recording a career-high four wins and 14 hold, but he vowed, "I want to play in the same number of games as last year. I think 50 games is a benchmark that shows I'm back. I want to surpass last year's ERA and number of hold."
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・ He was released from the team just one year after being traded for Kosei Yoshida
・ [Photo] Kosei Yoshida, Sasaki Nozomi and other members of the Akita Prefectural Association gather
・ [Photo] Kosei Yoshida has dinner with fellow Nippon-Ham fighters Chusei Mannami and Yuki Nomura, saying, "We'll get together again someday"
・ [Orix] Kosei Yoshida who underwent Tommy John surgery on the 7th, reveals his power-up and is now "throwing 150 km/h"
