Seibu Lions Shota Hamaya pitcher (26) signed a contract renewal at the team's office in Tokorozawa, Saitama, on March 3, increasing his salary by 1.5 million yen to 7.5 million yen. （The amount is estimated.)

This season, his sixth year as a pro, he returned to the regular team in July. After returning to the first team on August 6th against Nippon-Ham Fighters (ESCON), he stayed with the first team until the end of the season. He pitched in 16 games as a relief reliever, posting an ERA of 4.50, and reflected, "The biggest thing was being promoted to the regular team, and being able to stay with the first team until the end gave me confidence."

On the other hand, the game that is hit is also noticeable and does not enter the win equation. The team selected the same left-hander Soku Iwaki as the second pick at this fall's draft meeting, and competition is expected to intensify. "When I runs, I often did multiple runs, so I want to eliminate that. I hope I can do my pitch well like this year."