Seibu Lions Shunsuke Sato pitcher (25) signed a contract renewal at the team's office in Tokorozawa, Saitama, on May 5 for 38 million yen (estimated amount), a 5 million yen decrease.

In his fourth year as a pro, he only pitched in 20 games this season, finishing with 0 wins, 2 losses, 6 hold, and ERA of 6.41, with no results. "From the middle of the season onwards, I was getting hit every time I pitched, and it just kept going without me knowing what to do," he said, and his last appearance in a first-division game was against Nippon-Ham Fighters (Belluna Dome) on July 16th.

The team selected Chuo University left-handed pitcher Sora Iwaki as the second pick in this fall's draft. The competition for the "left-handed relief pitcher" position is expected to intensify further, but he has no intention of losing, saying, "Of course there are others around me, but I think I can do well if I can perform at my own level."

Last offseason, the lefty requested that the team review its method of reliever evaluating the team. The team did a good job of reviewing it, and I think the other pitcher players are being well-received. I am grateful to them because they said, 'Do your best so that you can benefit from it. I will do my best so that I can benefit from it next year," he vowed.