Orix Buffaloes Yoshihisa Hirano pitcher (41) gave himself a "last chance" on the 11th. On Maishima Island in Osaka, he renewed his contract for a 110 million yen reduction to 55 million yen plus piece work, which exceeded the reduction limit (40% for over 100 million yen). He accepted the second-lowest offer in the team's history and said, "To be honest, I could have ended it this year. I want to make this the last time.

This season, in April, he became the fourth player in NPB history to achieve 250 saves, but only pitched in three games for the first team. "I wasn't able to contribute anything to the team," he lamented. From next season, he will also serve as a coach, but he emphasized, "As long as I'm under contract as a player, my first priority is to contribute as a player." "Running is the most important thing. If I can't do that, I'm no good as an athlete," he said, and this offseason he plans to once again work on building a body that won't get injured.

"I hope we can all win again. I want to support them both as a player and as a coach." Next season will be the 21st year, and there's no intention of it ending anytime soon. (Nambu Shunta)