Seibu Lions Haruto Yamada pitcher Yoto Yamada (21) attended the club office in Tokorozawa, Saitama on the 4th to renew his contract, signing a new contract for an annual salary of 30 million yen, an increase of 23 million yen (estimated amount).

In his third year as a pro, he missed out on making the opening day first team, but was promoted to the first team on the second day and has since established himself as part of win formula. He pitched in 49 games, the second-highest on the team, and recorded 3 wins, 3 losses, 17 hold, and 1 save, including his first pro win, completing the entire season without a single absence. He reflected, "I was able to pitch with a good balance across all pitches, but I started to notice some imbalances in the second half, so I want to look at the data and make improvements as soon as possible."

After a breakthrough year, the right-handed pitcher was told by the team that "next season is important." Looking ahead to next season, he vowed, "First of all, I want to train independently to get in shape so that I can stay injury-free all year and compete in the first team throughout the season."