Nippon-Ham Shun Mizutani outfielder (24) of the "JETRO" held a Christmas talk show in Sapporo on March 13. Looking back on this season, he mentioned the memorable game against the 2nd Army in Hakodate. He revealed that he was empowered by the cheers of the crowd during a difficult time, and vowed to play an active role in the next season.

This was a more memorable at-bat than the one in which he hit Home Run in the first team. On May 17th, in Rakuten Eagles game against Eastern League (Hakodate), he came in as a pinch hitter in the 11th inning extra inning, trailing by three runs, and hit a timely single to center field, leading to a come-from-behind walk walk-off off win. "It was a tough time after I was removed from the roster, but so many people supported me. The cheers were as loud as those of Ace Combat Team, and although it was tough, it really motivated me to do my best. It was like they lit a fire in me, I'll never forget those cheers," he said, expressing his deep gratitude.

Looking ahead to next season, Mizutani said with a smile, "I want to go for the championship and aim to become number one in Japan. I want to be at the center of the team as an individual, so I would like to have an even better season than this year, so please support me." In order to live up to the cheers that give me strength, he will continue to liven up the team with his play and performance next season. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)