"I have a great admiration for Mr. Ogino, and throughout my professional baseball career, I've always tried to follow in his footsteps. He's a senior player I truly respect. I really wanted to carry on Mr. Ogino's legacy, so I asked him for this opportunity myself."

Lotte Akito Takabe will carry the number "0" that Takashi Ogino carried from next season until this season.

number When wearing 0, he said, "I really want Mr. Ogino to wear it before asking the team, but when I asked him if it was the best 0, it was not for me to decide, but he said that he would be happy if he carried it, so I thought I would be able to tell the team this, so I took the plunge and asked him."

Takabe stated his resolve, saying, "He was definitely a rival, and we worked hard to get into the game, but he was a senior who always showed me the way and set me up as a goal, so I'm really grateful to him, and although I wanted to do more, I will now wear number 0 jersey and do my best to surpass him in my own way."

Looking ahead to next season, he said, "First of all, I want to win a batting title. I've never won one before, so I want to aim for it and make it happen. I also want to win a defense and base base running title, as I think I'm a player who is expected to excel in hitting, fielding, and running, so I want to pursue those and play the whole year without getting injured." He will be aiming to win titles while number '0'.