Seibu Takumi Kuriyama outfielder He announced that he will retire at the end of the next season, which will be his 25th as a professional baseball player. Seibu The "Mr. Leo", who has been a professional baseball player for over 2150 hit years, will retire at the end of next season.
There were no tears. Kuriyama looked ahead with a determined expression and declared, "I'm announcing that my 25th season will be my final season." Regarding his sudden retirement announcement, he explained, "I want all the fans to watch me play. Reaching my 25th year will be a turning point."
In 2007, his sixth year with the team, he established himself as a regular player, and with his sharp swing from the left batting box and strong hitting in crucial situations, he contributed to the team's 2008 Japan Series championship. In 2021, he became the 54th player in history to reach 2,000 career hit, but in recent years his playing opportunities have decreased. This season he played in 11 games, spending a long time in the farm team. Despite this, he continues to practice without giving up. His sincere attitude has set a good example for the younger players. "I hope that my juniors will want to be like him," he said. He will continue to share his experiences by setting an example.
In his "final" contract renewal negotiations, he signed for 60 million yen, a 20 million yen reduction. Hiroike, the team's general manager, described the atmosphere at the time, saying, "It looked like he was putting a lot of force into his hand as he stamped the seal." Even though he announced his retirement before the start of next season, there is no guarantee of a permanent position, and he will be competing with younger players. The general manager said, "We are playing to win, and he knows this better than anyone," and does not intend to give him special treatment.
He has already started training for next season. "I will give it my all and definitely win the championship. I will do my best as a member of the team," he vowed. There was no mention of the word "retirement" at the press conference. "Please look forward to seeing me play." The farewell is still a long way off. With many thoughts in his heart, "Mr. Leo" takes on his final season. (Akimoto Masaki)
Major players who announced their retirement the following year after contract renewal Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, who played for Chunichi Dragons for 22 years until 2009, announced his retirement after his contract renewal in 2008. Kensuke Tanaka, who played for Nippon-Ham and the Giants in the majors, also announced his retirement at a press conference after his contract renewal in 2018.
◆Takumi Kuriyama (born September 3, 1983 in Hyogo Prefecture. 42 years old.) Joined Seibu in the fourth round of the 2001 draft from Ikuei High School. His first appearance was against Kintetsu on September 24, 2004. In 2021, he became the 54th player in history to achieve 2,000 hit. He has been selected as a member of the Best Nine four times and has won the Golden Glove Award once. He is 177 cm tall and weighs 85 kg. He throws right-handed and bats left-handed. number is 1.
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