Lotte's Kyota Fujiwara said, "From this fall, I'm focusing on developing a swing that will primarily produce extra-base hits," indicating that he is aiming for a batting style that prioritizes hitting for power this fall.

During the autumn practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, several angled hits flew into the right field stands. When asked what he focuses on when trying to hit for extra bases, he explained, "To hit for extra bases, you have to put your contact point in front of you, so I do that, but not too far forward. I try to pull the ball with a bat trajectory that's designed to hit in the opposite direction, without letting it get pushed forward. I'm not trying to pull the ball by opening my right shoulder, but rather focusing on hitting with my own swing."

During fall practice, he felt confident, saying, "I think I'm starting to find a batting form that suits me," and headed to the Miyakonojo fall camp.

Now that the Miyakonojo autumn camp is over, how is his long-range hitting going?

"Mr. Saburo has been telling me all along to learn the angle for hitting pull home run, so I've been able to get the accuracy of my hits into the stands to some extent compared to during the season. I'll continue to work on it in January, when it will be warmer."

He plans to train with Masataka Yoshida in January next year. Looking ahead to next season, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I want to win the most hit, the batting hitter, the Golden Glove Award, and the Best Nine award." As an unshakeable regular player, he is steadily preparing to perform well next season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita