Taiki Kikuchi Kikuchi (26), a pitcher for Nippon-Ham who joined the team from The Giants through the active player draft, participated in an early voluntary training session held in Nago, Okinawa on the 24th. He was the first on the team to enter bullpen, showing his fighting spirit to make an impression in his new team. Under clear skies with a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, he threw 36 pitches and said, "My body feels better than usual, or rather, I feel like I can start pitching already. I'm in a position where I have to make an impression, so I wouldn't say it's too early, but I think I'm in good shape." He showed that he is in good condition ahead of the start of spring training on February 1st.

At the beginning of January, he holed up in the snowy mountains of Nagano Prefecture with The Giants pitcher Ryusei Yamada for training. He ran up a 2-kilometer-long steep slope at a ski resort and up a mountain trail to strengthen his lower body. "There are rocks and stones under the snow, so if you can balance and use your body well, the ground becomes much easier," he said, incorporating the feeling he gained from training on rough terrain into pitch. "I can throw more easily, or rather, I can throw without using any unnecessary force, so I'm starting to see good results," he said, realizing the benefits of his training, which he has been doing for five consecutive years.

The right-handed reliever pitcher, who appeared in 50 games in 2023, said, "I want to pitch as soon as possible. I want to show a new side of myself," as he prepares to awaken his potential with the Shinjo Fighters. (Haruki Kawakami)