Nippon-Ham Fighters pitcher Nao Miyanishi (40) opened his training session to the public at his alma mater, Kwansei Gakuin University, in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on the 14th, and expressed his desire to become the oldest reliever in history. Aiming for his fourth title since 2019, Hanshin Tigers 's Fukuhara in 2015, when he was 39 years old.
Last season, he became the fourth pitcher in history to make 900 appearances, recording 12 hold in 31 games and ERA of 3.20. This season, he is trying out a new pitch, fork in order to further improve himself. Until now, he hadn't thrown it once due to concerns about the strain on his elbow, but he has decided to start throwing it again, saying, "My elbow has reached its limit." Since late September last year, he has been experimenting with different pitches, including asking ace pitcher Ito, who specializes in this type of pitch, about how to grip it, and he also tried it out in bullpen today. "Talking with my juniors, I got the feeling that fork is the way to go these days. I'll measure my numbers at camp and decide what to do," he said, as he continues to work hard to master a new pitch, in addition to his prized slider and change-up.
The left-handed pitcher, who turns 41 in June this year, faces the challenge of maintaining his condition. In December last year, he went on a shopping spree on foot and spine massagers from the online retailer Amazon to improve his flexibility. "I had no interest in them before, but now I roll around on the foot massager and massage it all the time," he said, as he faces his body's daily changes. "As Coach (Shinjo) says, opportunities are fleeting. I want to work as hard as I can to make the most of them." The ever-evolving legend has begun his 19th year as a professional. (Kawakami Haruki)
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