Lotte's Yuki Karakawa held a public training session at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 5th.

Last year, Karakawa said that his off-season training mainly focused on improving his pitching technique, saying, "I focused on leveling up the pitches I already have, as I've always said, like my slider, the pitches I'm challenging myself with, and making my curveball faster, and I did catch practice in December with that in mind. I was conscious of balancing things so that I could put as much emphasis as possible pitch pitch in January." However, he revealed that his off-season training for this season will be "Of course, improving my own accuracy is important when it comes to pitch, so the main focus will be on improving overall accuracy. I think the bigger theme for the off-season will be building a body that can withstand that."

In his final appearance last season against Seibu Lions on September 23rd, with the score at 1-0 in the third inning with one out and a runner on first, Manaya Nishikawa threw a ball with his first change-up, which was measured at 138 km/h, and in the fourth inning with the score at 1-0, Nevin, the first batter, batted looking, with change-up measured at 135 km/h, showing how fast he was throwing change-up towards the end of the season.In an interview on September 24th of last year, he commented about the increase in the speed of change-up, "Yes, it's a little fast, so ideally I'd like to slow it down a bit."

I wonder if this year he is thinking of throwing splitter, which he hasn't thrown much in recent years, rather than a fast change-up.

I'm going to throw splitter in practice without erasing it, too, and use it where I can."

There was a period when he increased the proportion of fastball, but since the latter half of 2018, pitch style has basically been based on cutter. Will he continue to pitch primarily with cutter this year as well?

"Yes, that's right. I don't particularly have any plans to change my style."

Karakawa is the oldest pitcher on the team this season. "(Manager Saburo) is a senior I really admire, so I want to give him a celebratory toss in the air in the fall, and I think I need to perform in a way that makes him need me then. I'm prepared to pitch in any situation, anywhere, if I'm called upon, so I just want to be ready for that." He is preparing for his 19th professional season, which matches number.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita