Lotte players have achieved results in one year, and while further progress is expected in the new season, few players have achieved good results for two consecutive years due to injuries or poor performance. This season, some players are challenging that wall.

One example is Nishikawa Shio, who hit a wall as a professional right after the start of his rookie season last year, but was promoted for the third time in June and recorded a batting average of .311.He eventually finished with a batting average of .281, fifth in the league, and a league-leading 27 doble, winning the Misho Nishikawa Pacific League Rookie of the Year award.

Nishikawa reflected on his first season as a professional, saying, "A lot of things happened and I was able to experience a lot of different things, which I don't think you can experience in your first year. On the contrary, I was in a bad mood and things weren't going well at first, but now I think it was good that I was able to experience that first."

Looking ahead to his crucial second year, he stated his determination, saying, "I think it will be very important in terms of performance to continue to grow and achieve a career high each year that is better than the previous year. I'm still not satisfied with myself, so there's always someone better. In that sense, I want to improve even more and become a batter who can aim for Home Run runs next time."

During the off-season, he plans to train independently with Shota Morishita of Hanshin Tigers Tigers. This season, he aims to win the batting hitter, Best Nine, and Golden Glove Award.

◆ Terachi: "The feeling that I will never lose."

In his second year as a professional last season, Ryusei Terachi made it onto the opening day first team, capitalized on his one chance, and increased his playing time. He also reached the required number of at-bats, finishing with a batting average of .256, Home Run, and 33 RBI.

I think I need to work on my physical strength, my weak points, and the part where I got injured at the end. I am going to work on this season with the primary goal of wearing the mask, but I also have rivals. There are good catcher players out there, so I want to make sure I can break into their ranks. I will be determined not to lose, and I will do my best to win the championship," he said, pledging to win the regular catcher title. catcher The competition is fierce in the top 10, and if you catcher and starting line-up make an appearance, you can say that you have overcome the "second year jinx". I want to make a strong showing with my specialty, batting.

◆ Takano: "I will continue to be active on the front lines"

Among pitcher, there is Shuta Takano. In his third season last year, Takano made his presence felt as a long reliever early in the season, gradually rising through the ranks and eventually earning the 8th inning of winning games. He pitched 37 games and 53 2/3 innings, recording 5 wins, 3 losses, 15 hold, 61 strike out, and ERA of 1.84, making it a breakthrough year for him.

Regarding last season, Takano reflected, "To be honest, I didn't think I would be able to do this much, so I was told to be a reliever but ended up as a relief pitcher, and with my character not being quite established, I sometimes wondered if I would end up just being a jack-of-all-trades again, but in the end I was entrusted with the role of setup man, and it was also a season in which my strengths became clear. In that sense, it was a very fulfilling season."

It's important to produce results two years in a row. Takano himself is aware of this. "I've heard that there's a Lotte jinx where you don't perform well two years in a row, so I want to make sure that doesn't happen and perform at the forefront of the first team again. I also think that the competition will be more heavily countered, so I want to work hard this offseason to acquire the skills to be one step ahead."

◆ Kimura: "I want to become a player that people look up to"

This year will be crucial for Yuto Kimura, who is in his third year since graduating from high school. Last season, he made the opening day roster, pitched as a reliever early in the season, and was then moved to the starting lineup after the interleague games. He recorded various firsts, including his first professional appearance, first win, first hold, and first save, pitching 22 games and 68 innings with 3 wins, 2 losses, 5 hold, and 1 save, ERA 3.31.

Kimura summed up last season by saying, "I had a good experience from the opening, and to be honest, I was happy to be able to throw in a place like that, and my pitch really changed completely there, and I was able to pitch aggressively throughout the year, so that was really good."

Regarding what is necessary to play an active role for two consecutive years, at a press conference held after contract renewal negotiations held in November last year, he said, "I feel that the part that has been thrown to some extent this season (25) is bigger, so I don't want it to be lower than the pitch this year (25). I need to improve my mindset even more, and in terms of the quality of the ball I throw and the way I think, I want to be a player who can be targeted because I want to do it while thinking about it and the pitcher of high school graduates coming in next year (26 years)."

If they can produce results for two consecutive years and become a force to be reckoned with, the team's future will be bright. In that sense, it will be important for the players who performed well last season to continue to produce results.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita