At the end of a press conference after his contract renewal on the 12th, Lotte's Katsuya Kakunaka made an unusual request to the press: "I really want you to write this part."

The content of the letter was, "My annual salary has been decreasing, and paying taxes is becoming a pain, so I'm thinking of selling my house." He then concluded the press conference by saying, "I'd like you to write that I'm looking for someone to buy it, and will sell it for about 1 billion yen if they're willing. I'll negotiate a price reduction from 1 billion yen. That's all I wanted to say today," he said.

Looking back on his own season, he said, "How can I put it? Regardless of whether I got good results or not, I think there were many things that I or older players could have done, so I'm reflecting on that."

The team has struggled since the beginning of the season, and since the interleague games, young players have been actively used. Has Kakunaka himself felt the pressure of the younger players?

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "There is pressure, but if I care about the team, I want more, or rather, it's not enough at all."

"If I keep talking about passion, I'll be treated like an old man, but in the end it all comes down to passion, hunger, and enthusiasm," he said, calling for the younger generation to step up.

Looking ahead to next season, he said, "I feel like standings won't get any worse for now."