Lotte's Keisuke Sawada has found some success with his fast, dropping fork.

Reflecting on fork after the end of last season, he said, "I think the drop was pretty good, but the speed makes a difference when it's there and when it's not, and when count is important, I would sacrifice speed and throw it with the mindset of not getting the height wrong." He continued, "So I thought about what else I could do. I think it all comes down to the amount of practice, so how can I get it to the point where it drops even when I increase the speed? That's a challenge for this fall, and for next year and beyond, so I want it to be fast and drop. I'll work hard to achieve that." He revealed during fall practice at Zozo Marine Stadium that he is aiming for fork that is fast and drops.

After finishing the Miyakonojo fall training camp on November 17th, when asked about fork at a press conference for contract renewal negotiations on November 28th, he said, "My pitching speed increased quite a bit in the last game of the fall training camp, but the drop in speed is inconsistent." He continued, "I feel like I've decided on the direction I want to go in, but I don't have any overall confidence. I'll just have to work hard this off-season, but I think it's changed from this season (2025)."

After independent training in December and January, the current fork said, "I can create a lot of images, and the game starts from here, so I want to try what will happen quickly, or rather, the batter's reaction is everything hitter.

I wonder if he's aiming for fork speed of over 135 km/h.

"Yes, I'd like to get it to about 40, so I'd like to make it fall faster."

The slider, which has been honed since the fall of 24, has grown into a pitch that supports pitch, but about slider, he said, "I am throwing as it is.

Regarding the knuckle curve, which he didn't throw much last season, he said, "I don't have a curve at all. I've gotten better at dropping slider a little vertically, so I feel like I don't need a curve anymore." At this point, he doesn't plan on throwing it much this season either.

Until now, he has often looked up splitter change on YouTube by professional baseball players, such as Kenta Maeda and Trevor Bauer, and incorporated it into his own practice to make it his own. When asked if there was any YouTube that he found useful this off-season, he replied, "I haven't been watching YouTube. If I become interested in it again, I might look it up, but right now it's not like that," prioritizing time spent on his own training.

During the off-season when there are no games, perhaps there is too much training to do and not enough time.

"I really practice from morning to night, but there isn't enough time, and the players I practice with nearby are getting better and better, so when I see that, I feel more anxious than anything. I try to think of various things so I don't lose, but I guess it's a matter of trial and error every day."

"Looking at the performances of my training buddies, I feel like I have even more room to improve," he said, but added, "It's not like I'm growing all at once, and I'm just staying flat for days, so I'd like to be able to grasp onto something, but it's not clear yet, so it's hard to find it, but it's fun."

Spring training, which begins on February 1st, will begin with the Ishigaki group. Last year, they were in Miyakonojo, but this year, for the first time in two years, they will be training on the warm Ishigaki Island. "Physically, I can sweat quickly, so I don't have to worry about warming up and down as much, and my body starts to move more naturally, so I'm grateful for that."

Then, he volunteered to wear the "54" that coach Tomohiro Kuroki carried on his back during his active career from this season. "Even if the number changes, what I do doesn't change, so I hope I can contribute one game at a time." Pay attention to Sawada's hot pitching, which has been changed to "54" by number, and fork, who practices hard in pursuit of speed.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita