Nippon-Ham pitcher Kota Tatsu (21) opened up his training session to the team's second-division facility in Kamagaya, Chiba on the 18th, and stated that his goals for this season, his fifth year as a professional, are double-digit win and 170 inning. "I want to win double digits. Double digits is the bare minimum. I need to pitch 24 to 25 games and get double-digit wins. My average inning last year was around 6.8 inning, so if I keep going at that pace, I think I can pitch a little over 170 inning. I'd like to work hard and aim for that level." Last season, he had 8 wins in 16 games. This season, he aims to stay in the rotation all year, increase his number of starts, and reach double digits for the first time.

Last season, he attracted attention with his confident way of speaking, to the point that manager Shinjo was excited to see what kind of big mouth he would come up with. This season, he plans to further improve upon that, expressing his gratitude by saying, "It's a difficult thing. When I renewed my contract, they told me that it was really helpful for the team, as they have the entertainment business of baseball. That's difficult, isn't it?" In November of last season, he said, "I was able to reach most baseball fans. If I was 24 or 25 and still say things like that, I'd think, 'That's a bit painful,' so I thought maybe it was time to stop." He considered giving up on his big mouth, but said, "This year, I'm not going to be big, I'm going to focus on being more precise," and aims to show a more tactful, "adult" Kota Tatsu.

He spent the off-season training in the US for the second year in a row. His numbers have improved since last year, and he feels he has grown. He has been confirmed to start in the third game of the season, against Softbank Hawks on March 29th (Mizuho PayPay Dome). "Well, with the boss, there's a good chance he'll completely cancel everything. I don't feel at ease though. He's the kind of guy who does crazy things, so I want to play with a normal sense of tension," he said, setting his sights on the opening game with a sense of urgency.

◇Our main big mouth notes from the past 25 years

"The booing was fun..." (July 14th vs. Seibu Lions, Tokyo Dome) With the score at 2-1 and one out in the seventh inning, he threw two consecutive pickoff pitches to runner on first base, which drew loud booing from Seibu Lions fans. "The booing was intense after I threw the pickoff pitch. It's not often that you get booed, is it? I had so much fun that I threw it again."

"I want to beat them to a pulp" (July 31st vs. Softbank Hawks, ESCON) He gave up five runs in five innings against the defending champions, suffering his first professional loss. "If I get a chance to pitch again, I'd like to pitch against The Hawks. I want to beat them to a pulp."

▽ "Are you taking me for granted?" (August 26th vs. Seibu Lions, Belluna D) In response to Manager Shinjo's comment that he "made the game. That was enough," after pitch two runs in the middle of the seventh inning, he replied, "I thought you were taking me for granted. That's not enough. I don't want to be the kind pitcher who says, 'Well done,' after giving up two runs in the sixth inning."