On the 16th, Lotte announced that it had published the "The Marines Math Drills, Winter Edition 2025" and distributed it free of charge to 109 public elementary schools in Chiba City. Also today, as part of the "MARINES LINKS" social contribution project, Atsuya Hirohata visited Chiba City Tsuga Elementary School and held a presentation ceremony for the "The Marines Math Drills" with all 429 students in attendance.
At the end of the presentation ceremony, Hirohata addressed the children, saying, "Your fun winter break will soon begin, but first I would like you to study using the math workbooks that we distributed today. The 'drill' in math workbooks is like the drill used to dig a hole; you dig the hole little by little by moving around in circles. In the same way, work hard at your studies. And enjoy your winter break to the fullest. Thank you for today."
The Marines Arithmetic Drill is a self-study material consisting of questions related to Chiba Lotte Marines and baseball with the cooperation of "NPO Chiba Arithmetic and Mathematics Enjoyment Association". This is the 43rd edition since its distribution in 2011. The winter 2025 issue was produced as a review of the content studied up to December. School visits by athletes have been conducted since 2011. The presentation ceremony was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of the new coronavirus, but will be resumed in 2022. The last visit was made by Ryusei Miyazaki infielder in July 2025.
"MARINES LINKS" is a social contribution project in which the team, together with partner companies, supports social contribution activities led by The Marines players. The project name embodies the desire to "LINK" all people connected to Chiba Lotte Marines, including the players, fans, local residents, government agencies, and partner companies.
▼ Atsuya Hirohata pitcher Comments
"The math drills we gave to the children this time feature the players, who give hints to the answers in speech bubbles, and Kyodai (outfielder Kyota Fujiwara) says some very difficult things, and I thought, 'Kyota Fujiwara would never say something like that!' I personally thought it was a very interesting teaching material (laughs). I think the content is a really well-made drill, so I would like the children to make good use of it. I myself will continue to work hard, little by little, and do my best to do well next season."
