"This year I was able to win the wonderful title of Rookie of the Year, but I'm still not satisfied with the numbers, so my main goal for next season is to play in every game, and I'd like to work hard to win the title."

Lotte's Misho Nishikawa has set his goals for next season, his second year, as playing in every game and winning a title.

In his first year as a pro, Nishikawa appeared in 16 games from February 16th, posting a batting average of .403 (25 hits in 62 At Bat hit), one Home Run, and nine RBI, earning him a spot on the opening day roster. He then hit his first professional hit in the season opener against Softbank Hawks on March 28th. He tied the team's record for most hit in five consecutive games since the opening game, but after that, he went hit in five games and 19 at-hit, and was removed from the first-team roster on April 12th. He batted .423 (22-52) in the farm team, and was promoted back to the team on April 29th. He hit his first professional hit against Nippon-Ham Fighters on May 18th, but was removed from the first-team roster again on May 27th due to poor health. He produced results with the bat, batting .419 (31-13), and was promoted again on June 13th, where he hit well in June, batting .441 (34-15) for the month.

He hit his first professional Home Run against Rakuten Eagles on July 30th, then hit five consecutive games from the game against Softbank Hawks on August 16th to the game against Rakuten Eagles on August 21st. After the game against Rakuten Eagles on the 20th, he raised his batting average to .297. In September, he recorded his 31st multi-hit game of the season, including his second solo home hit, against Orix Buffaloes on the 9th, and his third solo home run, hitting two consecutive Home Run against Softbank Hawks on the 11th. In his second at-bat against Softbank Hawks on October 5th, the final game of the regular season, he reached the required number of at-bats for the season. In his first year as a pro, he played in 108 games, batting .281 Home Run, 37 RBI, and a league-leading 27 doble. He became the team's first rookie to win the Rookie of the Year award since Ayumu Ishikawa in 2014.

Is there anything he is thinking about now that will be necessary to win the title next season?

"If you're going to fight for a whole year, I haven't been able to play in every game this year, but I was tired in the second half, so I'm reviewing my physical condition.In terms of batting, if you can't swing correctly from the basics, you won't be able to continue to produce results over the long term, so I'm working on those two things."

He has named batting hitter as the title he most wants to win, and is also aiming for the Best Nine and Golden Glove Awards, which he narrowly missed out on this season. Hopefully, he will perform well throughout the season next year and win a title.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita