Rakuten Eagles Eagles pitcher Takahisa Hayakawa (27) revealed a shocking moment he experienced with Kenta Kenta Maeda (37), a right-handed pitcher with 165 career wins in Japan and the US who will be joining the team next season. "I watched him when I was in high school and junior high school, and I've continued to watch him since he went to the majors, so I'm really happy," he said, looking forward to meeting him. He said he remembers Maeda's time with the Dodgers better than his time with Hiroshima, and when asked what stood out to him, he said, "Of course, his pitching," before continuing, "The most memorable thing was when he hit a home run run in his very first game after transferring to the Dodgers (his first appearance with the team on April 6, 2016 against the Padres)."

The addition of the experienced Maeda will have a significant impact not only on his playing ability but also on the other players. "We have a lot of young players (in pitcher staff), and if we can absorb his good points, the team will get stronger and we'll see an overall improvement. I think his presence will be very important," he said, adding eagerly, "I want to ask him about things like his routine for pitching every five days." He himself underwent surgery on his left shoulder in September and is currently rehabilitating. He hopes to return as soon as possible and lead pitcher staff together with Maeda.