Rakuten Eagles. Naoto Nishiguchi pitcher (29) trained voluntarily in Okinawa Prefecture on March 13. He was interviewed online by this date. The right-hander, who has been training with Kogo, Shibata, and others, said, "I am conscious of the flexibility of my hip joints and the reproducibility of my form. I'm aiming to improve my hip joint and rib cage movement," he said, revealing his off-day theme.
Last season was a breakthrough season. He pitched in a team-record 26 consecutive games without a loss runs. He continued to struggle, pitching in 52 games and posting 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 save in 31 hold, ERA 1.07 innings pitched. With a fastest fastball of 156 km/h, he threw 70 strike out and strike out pitches in 50 2/3 innings and left one of the best numbers in the league at 12.43.
This season, he is training hard with the goal of becoming a starter. "In the 2026 season, I want to become pitcher who can lead the team as a starter. I want to work hard to get into a position where the team can trust me both during practice and in my personal life," he said enthusiastically.
Last season, the team had no pitcher who reached the required innings pitched. Improving the starting lineup is an issue, and if Nishiguchi can perform well as a starter, he will be a major driving force behind the team's rise. "I won't be able to break into the starting rotation unless I get solid results in the exhibition games. I want to give it my all when camp starts and make an impression from bullpen," he vowed.
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