Lotte's Kyota Fujiwara said, "From this fall, I'm trying to swing in a way that will make long hits the basis," and is aiming for a batting style that aims for "long hits" from this fall.

During fall practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, he hit many angled balls into the right-field stands. When asked what he thinks is important when thinking about hitting long balls, he explained, "When you hit a long ball, you have to move the point forward, so you do it forward, but not too far forward. To prevent the ball from being thrown forward, you pull the bat with a trajectory that hits in the opposite direction. Instead of opening your right shoulder and pulling, you try to be conscious of hitting with your 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?

"Saburo has always told me to memorize the angle at which to hit a pull home run, so I've started to hit the balls (into the stands) with more accuracy than I did during the season.I'll be able to continue hitting in warmer weather in January, so I'd like to keep working on it."

He plans to train independently with Masataka Yoshida in January of next year. Looking ahead to next season, he said enthusiastically, "I want to win the most hit, batting hitter, Golden Glove Award, and Best Nine." As a permanent regular, he is making solid preparations to perform well next season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita