Nippon-Ham Fighters catcher Yuya Gunji (28) volunteered to take on a "middle management" role on the 26th. The team lost veteran players in their 30s, including Go Matsumoto, who served as the player's association president until last season, and Fushimi and Ishii, who were the oldest fielder. During the team's early training in Nago, Okinawa, Gunji became the second-oldest fielder after Kamikawabata, and commented, "It really feels like a different team. It's so fresh," expressing his sense of rejuvenation.
Starting this season, 26-year-old Kiyomiya Yuki has been appointed as the players' union president, and he is concerned about the new players' union president, who has a laid-back side to him, saying, "I wonder who will be able to bring this team together. Kotaro will just have to stand tall in front with his name and aura." He will support his junior from behind the scenes, saying, "I'm an advisor. A middle manager. I hope to be someone that is easy to talk to."
During the off-season, he continued to practice by having Kanemura practice pitcher in the ESCON indoors. "I thought he was going to throw it close, but he threw it on a slope, and it was pretty deep, and he looked like he still has a lot to learn," he said, sharing a hilarious episode with his junior. "It was an incredibly good practice," he said, expressing his gratitude. He started out at 100 yen per pitch, but reflected, "We had a rule that balls were a minus, and each ball (a ball) was about 1,500 yen, so it was a wash."
He has been selected to play as the fourth batter and third baseman for the opening game against Softbank Hawks on March 27th (Mizuho PayPay Dome). "The batting lineup isn't built around me. I just happen to be the fourth batter because they're thinking of Reyes as the center." He will be the connecting fourth batter in the batting lineup, and outside of his playing role, he will support the team as a middle manager who makes the most of those around him.
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