"The season just kind of went by. In the second half, I was able to play in a lot of games, and although it wasn't all of my ability, I was able to show that I could do it to a certain extent, and although it wasn't proof, the numbers showed that, so I wanted to do it again from the start of the season and I wanted to do it again."

Lotte's Toshiya Sato looked back on this season as follows.

Last season, Sato had a batting average of .278, fourth in the league, and made his presence known as a "catcher with hitting ability." He represented Japan at the "LUXAS presents 3rd WBSC Premier12" tournament held after the season ended. While expectations were high for even greater progress this season, he was hit by a ball on his right foot during batting practice on February 13th at Ishigaki Island's spring training camp, and was diagnosed with a "distal phalanx fracture of the first right toe," forcing him to leave the team. Although he returned in time for the season opener, he was removed from the first-team roster on April 23rd. After being re-promoted, he had two hit in a game against Hiroshima on June 10th, seemingly showing signs of recovery, but he was removed from the first-team roster again on June 14th due to injury.

He returned to action as the second batter and catcher in a DeNA minor league game on July 26th, and was promoted to the first team on July 29th. In August, he batted .324 (12 At Bat 37 hit), with two Home Run and three RBI, demonstrating his presence as catcher can hit. In total, he played in 68 games, batting .207 with Home Run and 18 RBI, but after the All-Star break he batted .266 (33 hit At Bat 124 at-bats), with three Home Run and 12 RBI.

After the season ended, on October 10th, he underwent a painful triangular bone removal surgery in his left leg. This season has been a year plagued by injuries. This offseason, he plans to focus on building his physique, saying, "Right now, I want to get in shape and show my sharpness. There was a time when my body wasn't moving the way I wanted it to, so throughout this season, I'm trying to build a strong foundation, focusing on building a physique that won't get injured."

Regarding his goals for next season, he said enthusiastically, "I'd like to achieve career highs in all areas, but since I wasn't able to go to training camp after my injury, I'd like to improve my power hitting a little more during my rehabilitation period.I'd like to hit double digits, but I'd also like to improve my power hitting even more."