Orix Buffaloes pitcher Ryuhei Sotani attended contract negotiations at the team's facilities in Maishima, Osaka on the 12th and signed a contract for an estimated annual salary of 55 million yen, a 17 million yen increase. He reflected, "They told me that I pitched throughout the year, but my performance was inconsistent, so they want me to be able to pitch consistently (in good condition) throughout the year next year."

In his third season, he has been a key part of the starting rotation since the opening day, recording a career-high eight wins in the first half alone. On May 18th against Seibu Lions (Belluna Dome), he outpitched Sumida, recording his first professional complete game with four hit, one runs allowed, and no walk. However, he went win in the second half and failed to reach his goal of innings pitched the required number of innings. "There are still areas where I need to improve, both physically and technically. I think I was able to give my best in the first half, so I want to continue pitching like that throughout the year," he said, acknowledging both his achievements and areas for improvement.

In the Samurai Japan warm-up match against Korea on the 16th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), he pitch three complete innings as a starter. He succeeded in appealing as a candidate for the "second start" for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March next year. "First of all, I want to prepare to throw throughout the season, and I would be happy if my name (for the Japanese national team) was mentioned there," Soya said. "Anyway, stick to the inning and be prepared to throw the rules for a long inning. I want to be a member of the rotation and be able to lead the way," he said.