Lotte's Rikuto Yokoyama held a public training session at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 26th.
Last season, Yokoyama achieved his long-held goal of pitching in 50 games, recording career-highs of 20 hold, 12 saves, 56 1/3 innings, strike out. In 2024, he pitched in 43 games, recording 3 wins, 1 loss, 18 hold, 3 saves, and ERA of 1.71, achieving impressive results for the second consecutive year. He has developed into pitcher who represents the team.
At a press conference held after contract renewal negotiations on November 27th last year, when asked if he wanted to lead the team now that he has moved from a young player to an age that is considered middle-aged, Yokoyama replied, "Of course I would like to lead the team, but since I am younger in age, there may be times when I cause some inconvenience or put a burden on my seniors, but I want to keep a strong sense of self-confidence.Of course, there are also juniors now, so I would like to talk to them about various things within the scope of what I can teach them, and act with the awareness of being a senior."
Amidst all this, the team announced on December 25th that he would be appointed as the players' association president. In his new role, he will be in a leading position.
At an open training session on the 26th, Yokoyama spoke of his current thoughts, saying, "To be honest, I don't really think that just because I'm the players' union president I have to take the lead. To be honest, I don't really understand the job of the players' union president yet, so rather than me taking the lead, I'd like to listen to the opinions of various seniors and juniors, and become a player who can take the lead."
When asked about his confidence in serving as players' union president, he said, "To be honest, I have no confidence at all. I feel like I'm not even sure why I'm doing it, but since I've been entrusted with the role, I have to do it properly. I'm a young guy who hasn't achieved much yet, so I'd like to do my best while listening to the opinions of my seniors."
number will change from 60 to 15, and he will be taking on greater responsibilities as the player's union president, but I hope he will remember his true self and continue to liven up the team this year.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
