Rakuten Eagles s Daisuke Nakashima outfielder (24) won the "Lawson Ticket Speed-Up Award" announced on March 3 in the Pacific League hitter category for the first time. This award is given to the hitter who had the shortest average pitch interval (no runner time) between pitcher opponents among the hitter who reached the prescribed number of at bats. Nakajima's was 12.5 seconds.

Nakajima, in his second year, secured a permanent position as outfielder midway through this season, appearing in 124 games, primarily as leadoff hitter. He finished with a batting average of .266, 31 RBI, and 6 Home Run. "I'm conscious of getting faster, but I never thought I'd be the fastest, so I'm happy. I think one of the jobs of the leadoff hitter is to create a good offensive rhythm and bring good momentum to the team. Next season, I'd like to contribute to the team by getting more at-bats with shorter pitch intervals and creating a good offensive rhythm," he said with joy.