Softbank Hawks Kazuo Ono pitcher Kazuo Ohno signed a contract extension on the 17th at Mizuho PayPay Dome, agreeing to a 1 million yen increase, bringing his annual salary to 6.2 million yen (estimated amount). The third-year left-hander from Oshima High School (Kagoshima) was promoted to the first team for the first time this season, appearing in four games with no wins or losses and ERA of 0.00. This offseason, he met with pitcher coach Kurano and was instructed to compete for a spot in the starting rotation next season. From late October, he participated in the highly competitive Puerto Rican Winter League to gain starting experience. "I was able to increase my average fastball velocity as a starter, so it was a big step forward," he said, expressing satisfaction after completing his approximately one-and-a-half-month training abroad. In the past, players such as Yanagita, Shuto, Higashihama, and Sugiyama were also sent to Puerto Rico and went on to have breakout seasons in the first team.

Ohno also revealed that he married a non-celebrity woman from Hiroshima in April this year, and that their first child, a daughter, was born in August. He said his goal is to have a long and successful career so that he can "be remembered by his daughter."