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 such player is Fumiya Nishikawa, who, in his rookie year last season, initially struggled to adapt to professional baseball but was promoted to the first team for the third time in June, where he posted a batting average of .311. He ultimately finished with a batting average of .281, fifth in the league, and a league-leading 27 doble, earning him the Misho Nishikawa Pacific League 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's very important in terms of performance to improve each year and have a career-higher season than the previous year. I'm still not satisfied with myself, and there are always people better than me, so in that sense I want to raise my level even more and become a batter who can aim for a .300 batting average and double-digit Home Run runs next time."

During the offseason, he plans to train independently with Hanshin Tigers Tigers. This season, he aims to win the batting hitter, Best Nine award, and Golden Glove award.

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

Last season, his second as a professional, Ryusei Terachi secured a spot on the opening day roster, seized the opportunity, and increased his playing time, reaching the required number of plate appearances and recording a batting average of .256, 5 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, Shuta Takano is a prime example. In his third year last season, Takano made his presence felt as a long reliever early in the season, gradually rising through the ranks until he was eventually entrusted with pitching the 8th inning in winning games. He pitched 53 2/3 innings in 37 games, recording 5 wins, 3 losses, 15 hold, 61 strike out, and ERA of 1.84, making it a breakout 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"

For Yuto Kimura, who is entering his third year since graduating from high school, this year will be crucial. Last season, he secured a spot on the opening day roster, and was initially used as a reliever, then moved to the starting rotation during the interleague games. He recorded various "firsts," including his first professional appearance, first win, first hold, and first save, pitching 68 innings in 22 games, with a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, 5 hold, and 1 ERA of 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