Hiroaki Shimauchi, who played for Rakuten Eagles until last season, announced on his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 4th that he would be retiring from professional baseball.

Shimauchi wrote, "I've spent 14 years with Rakuten Eagles. I was nurtured by manager Hoshino and experienced winning the Japan Series in 2013. My body has reached its limit, and I was unable to play for another team, so I have decided to end my career here. I was able to play this far thanks to my teammates, team staff, family, and fans. Thank you for 14 years."

Shimauchi joined Rakuten Eagles in 2011 as the 6th pick in the draft. In 2013, the year the team achieved its first league championship and Japan Series title, he played in 97 games, batting .284 with Home Run and 38 RBI. In 2016, although he did not reach the required number of plate appearances, he played in 114 games and batted .287. The following year, in 2017, he played in 143 games, batting .265 with Home Run and 47 RBI, reaching the required number of plate appearances for the first time in his career. He won the RBI title in 2021 (96 RBI) and the most hit title in 2022 (161 hit), but in recent years his opportunities to play in the first team have decreased, and last season he only played in 5 games.