Seibu Lions Natsuki Takeuchi pitcher (24) opened his voluntary training in Kurume, Fukuoka by 16th, and showed his strong determination to take the opening season for the first time in his third year. pitcher

He spoke with his eyes fixed straight ahead. When asked about the opening game against the Lotte Marines on March 27th (ZOZO), he said, "Of course I'm aiming for it." In his rookie year in 2012, he pitched in 21 games with a record of 10 wins and 6 losses and ERA of 2.17, earning him the Rookie of the Year award. However, last season he started late after injuring his left elbow during his voluntary training, and pitched in 12 games with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses and ERA 5.26. His control is a strong point for the left-handed pitcher, but he had many erratic moments and had a frustrating year.

This offseason, he became a disciple of fellow left-handed pitcher Sumida. He also participated for the first time in a training camp at the "Konoe Academy" run by Toshiharu Konoe, the trainer who also teaches Imai and Sumida. After practicing "putting my center of gravity on the right side and using that momentum to throw," he is feeling a sense of recovery, saying, "I'm not getting tired even when pitching long inning, and this leads to my pitching speed not dropping."

pitcher I'm confident that the left-hander will be able to get back to the top after finishing in fifth place. The left-hander's excitement is essential for the team's comeback from fifth place. （The left arm is essential to the team's comeback from the 5th place finish.)