"It was a season where not much went well, but I think there were some things we gained from it."

Lotte's Akito Takabe gave a summary of this year.

Last season, he was sidelined at the end of the season due to injuries to his left wrist and right knee, but he still played in 76 games, recording a batting average of .300, 1 Home Run, and 23 RBI. Every year, he seeks a new feeling when it comes to batting, and regarding his batting style for "2025," he said at the Ishigaki Island spring training camp, "I think OPS is what's being evaluated now, so I'm not focused on extra-base hits, but I'm the type of player who hits singles. I'm thinking of increasing the number of hits I get, and doing my best to get as many hits as possible and bring the team's numbers up to a good level."

He was selected to represent Japan in the "Rugzas Samurai Japan Series 2025 Japan vs. Netherlands" to be held on March 5 and 6, and started the game on March 5 as No. 9 center fielder. "I go to bat thinking that chances are important for me, so I think it was very good that I was able to hit one in that situation. In the sixth inning, with two outs bases loaded and the score at 1-0, he hit a 145-kilogram two seam fastball first pitch from DeBrock in right field to left field for a two-run homer. hit RBI On the 6th, with one out in the 8th inning of a 7-0 game, he came on as a substitute and swung aggressively at the first pitch fastball thrown by the right-handed Prince and hit hit in front of left field for the second game in a row.

"Everyone has a different way of thinking, and each team has their own color, so we see different things. It's been a learning experience for me," he said, and when asked about what inspired him, he said, "I thought that the way they took the timing and the way they thought made it easy to create good images," making it a fulfilling experience.

He hit hit in two consecutive games for Samurai Japan, but when asked about his batting condition, he said, "It's not good at all, but I have to keep improving from now on and be at my best for the opening game.I think I'll first take a good look at myself."

He had a batting average of .286 in the exhibition games, and in the opening game against Softbank Hawks on March 28th, starting line-up as the seventh batter and center fielder, getting off to a good start with three hit. He had consistent hit in March and April, but his solid hitting was lacking, and his batting average at the end of April was .230.

"In my case, when I'm in good shape, I'm able to make contact with the first pitch and hit the ball to a good spot. I think it's good that I'm able to do this little by little."

In May, he showed improved form, aggressively swinging at the ball early in the count, recording multiple hit in three consecutive games starting with the game against Softbank Hawks on the 4th. However, his good form did not last long, and he did not record multiple hit again after the game Rakuten Eagles on the 7th of May.

"It's no good at all, but I have to do it, so I feel like I have to raise it."

Even during pre-game practice, he said, "I've been making a lot of strange movements around this time, so I'm trying to consolidate them into one motion to eliminate them," and he lifted his right leg high when hitting. In the game against Chunichi on June 8, he said, "I'm still in the process of trying out various things, so it's not quite in shape yet, but I think I hit it well," as he changed his timing in his first at-bat in the 3rd inning with no outs and no runner on base, and hit hit to left field off Takahiro Matsuba.

Depending on pitcher, he tries the no-step batting style, saying, "I sometimes do it when I'm facing a pitcher whose timing isn't right for me," and he also said about how to get his timing right, "I'm trying different things. I think it's all about timing."

He felt that his condition was improving as he began hitting more solid shots in early May, but revealed his true feelings, saying, "I felt that, but the reality is that I haven't been able to keep it up.I've decided to forget about that and focus on the present."

When asked if he felt that his approach had changed since last year, he said, "I don't know, I think it depends on me. There are many things I'm not doing well, so I think I have to work on that." He pointed to his own skills as a challenge.

He struggled in June with a monthly batting average of .207, and was removed from the first-team roster on July 7. In a game against Nippon-Ham' minor league team on July 8, in his fourth at-bat in the 7th inning with one out and a runner on first base, he hit Home Run to right field off a 136 km/h inside fork thrown by Koki Matsuoka on a 1-ball, 1-strike, saying, "That's not something you can do many times, so it's great to be able to hit it like that."

◆ After being promoted, he started hitting more pulled balls

After being promoted again on July 18th, he said, "I think I'm starting to pull the ball more, thinking that I'm swinging harder." His pull hits have increased.

On August 11th against Orix Buffaloes, in his fifth at-runner on base in the 10th inning with the score 3-5, he hit triple off Kaito Saiki to right-center field, and on August 14th against Nippon-Ham Fighters, in his third at-bat with two outs and no runner on base in the 6th inning with the strike 8-1, he hit triple to right-center field off a 137 km/h change-up thrown by Ren Fukushima on the fourth pitch with one ball and two strikes. Looking back on his two triple against Orix Buffaloes on August 11th and Nippon-Ham Fighters on the 14th, he said, "I was really focused on swinging."

His batting average was .239 at the end of July, but in August it rose to .349 and by the end of August it had risen to .266.

◆ Throw a number of pitches

His signature style is to aggressively swing at the ball from early in count, but since being recalled to the first team, he says he "puts it into practice depending on the situation," and in the game against Nippon-Ham on July 27, he threw 25 pitches in 5 at-bats, in the game Orix Buffaloes on August 11, he threw 23 pitches in 5 at-bats, and in the game Rakuten Eagles on August 19, he threw 24 pitches in 5 at-bats, forcing pitcher to throw a lot of pitches while he was at bat.

In the game against Nippon-Ham on July 27th, with the score tied at 4-4 and two outs and a runner on first in the 11th inning, he persevered against Takumi Yamamoto, and with three balls and two strike, he let the eighth pitch, a 152 km/h fastball go for Walk. "It all depends on the situation. I felt I had to carefully look at the situation myself, so I'm thinking about that."

In the game Nippon-Ham on September 4th, in his fifth at-bat in the ninth inning with the score at 2-9, against Taisei Yanagawa, he judged the ball well, persisted with fouling, and then, with three balls and two strike, let a high Walk on the eighth fastball and chose to walk, saying, "He's a good pitcher, so it's not easy to hit him. My control wasn't consistent either, so I think that's why it turned out that way," and made him throw a lot of pitches.

Since August, when he started to focus on swinging harder, his batting average has risen to .337. "I don't think it's everything, but there have been a lot of positive aspects to it, and I think that by swinging harder, I've been able to find some new strengths, so I think it's been a positive experience that I can use to improve in the future."

I wonder if they were able to end the season with something that will carry over to next season.

"I haven't fully grasped it yet, but I have some material to think about from now on, and what I need to do this off-season has become clear from how I played in the second half, so I want to make sure I use it to carry over into next year."

Although his batting performance has been up and down, he has managed to fight through the entire season without any major injuries. "I think it's a positive thing for me that I was able to go a whole year without injury, and it was my goal, so it's good, but the results haven't come. I want to get better results. I'm more frustrated than anything."

Next season, under manager Saburo, he aims to win the league championship with the highest winning percentage for the first time since 1974. "Mr. Saburo is very passionate, or rather, he's someone who puts all his effort into winning, so I want to fight with the same passion to surprise him. I want to show him something that will exceed his expectations." He also requested to change number to '0', which was worn by Takashi Ogino until this season. Next season, he aims to perform well throughout the entire season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita