On the 27th, Orix Buffaloes kicked off their rookie joint training session, which began on the 10th, at the team's facility in Maishima, Osaka. On this day, right-handed pitcher Shu Takaya (Hokkai Gakuen University), a fifth-round draft pitch with a top speed of 153 km/h, pitched in bullpen with catcher for the first time, along with second-round draft pitcher Matthew Ichiro Shapiro (Nihonkai League Toyama) and fourth-round draft pitcher Issei Watanabe (Sendai University). After throwing around 25 pitches, including fastballs, cutter, slider, curveballs, and change-up he nodded and said, "I'm fully prepared to enter camp in good condition."
During the Miyazaki training camp starting in February, he plans to focus on "improving the quality of his fastball" and make an appeal to the first team, which is his goal for the opening game of the season. "I want to throw in the upper 150 km/h range, and I believe I can do it. I will work hard every day to achieve that," he said emphatically.
First-round draft pitcher Atsuya Fujikawa (Nobeoka Gakuen) summed up the experience by saying, "(In the pros) I get to see great players every day, so I'm really happy about that, and it's an environment where I can do what I want right away. I was able to go without any injuries, and my condition didn't get too bad, so I'm glad." He also expressed his enthusiasm for the training camp, saying, "After I throw breaking ball, my fastball inevitably becomes weaker, so I want to watch my seniors and learn from them."
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