Nippon-Ham: The Kanji of the Year for second-round draft pick Ed Polo is... "To become the 'King' in professional baseball." He also promotes the name of his fighter brother, King, saying, "Please support him."

Sports Hochi

2026.1.18(日) 16:24

(From left) Okawa, Edpolo Cain, Otsuka, Handa, Fujimori, Tsuneya, and Yokoyama demonstrate their calligraphy. (Photographer: Takematsu Aki)

Nippon-Ham' second-round draft pick, outfielder (22), from Daigakuin University, attended a welcome party for newcomers held in Kamagaya, Chiba on the 18th, where he chose "King" as his kanji of the year and also promoted the name of his older brother, mixed martial artist Ed Polo King.

Edopolo chose "King" as his kanji for this year, explaining, "It means that I'm not just coming to the world of professional baseball, but becoming the king of the world of professional baseball." He also made an unusual appeal, saying, "My brother is a martial artist, and his name is 'King,' so I hope you'll support him."

His older brother, King, made his professional debut as a mixed martial artist in May 2012. He is known as the "The Giants of the Underground" and is attracting attention as a talented athlete. He was a high school slugger at Nippon Sport Science University Kashiwa, hitting a total of 28 Home Run and he himself aspired to become a professional baseball player.

During the talk show, when the topic turned to athletes he aspires to be like, he vowed, "I want to do my best so that I don't lose to Shohei Ohtani. I want to win at least one side (pitching and batting)." He named Shohei Ohtani (currently with the Dodgers), pitcher played for Nippon-Ham from 2013 to 2017, and received a warm round of applause from the 1,085 fans in attendance.

Related News

[Photo] First meeting with Darvish through his fighter brother: "His aura was amazing" Nippon-Ham 2's Ed Polo Cain is excited
[Nippon-Ham] First-round draft pick Okawa Jiei asks for a new nickname at the "Rookie Introductory Event" "Please think of a new nickname" Yuki Nomura and "Jay" overlap
[Nippon-Ham] Kota Tatsu "He throws more than 50% of balls that fall off the wall. I'd like to hear how he uses them." He's looking forward to returning to his old team and working together with senior Arihara.
[Nippon-Ham] First-round draft pick Okawa Jiei and others submit moving-in notice to Kamagaya City, "I'll definitely live here for two years" "I hope for delicious food" "Rookie unveiling party" held
[Nippon-Ham] Haruki Hosono enters bullpen. His first pitch to a seated catcher: "I want to show off to Ohmi-san and Kono-san..."

Related LIVE Streaming

Featured
Featured
Pacific League News

Nippon-Ham: The Kanji of the Year for second-round draft pick Ed Polo is... "To become the 'King' in professional baseball." He also promotes the name of his fighter brother, King, saying, "Please support him."