Rakuten Eagles launched a joint voluntary training for rookies at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Strongest Park Miyagi in Sendai City on the 29th. The first right-hander in the draft, Sota Fujiwara (22) = Hanazono University = boasting a maximum speed of 156 km, is determined to gain the secret of surviving the baseball world from the legend Kenta Maeda pitcher (37).

He will start camp with the first team. In Kin Town, Okinawa, he will work up a sweat alongside a living example. When asked about his feelings for Maeda, he said:

"During my high school days (at Minakuchi High School in Shiga Prefecture), I used his pitching form as a reference, so I'm happy to be able to baseball with someone like him. I used his windup and how he uses his glove when he enters the translational phase as references for many things."

Is this fate? To be sharing a meal with a star who was once only on my smartphone screen. "He's a player who has had a long and successful career in Major League Baseball, so I'd like to ask him about his approach to baseball and his personal life," he said, his eyes shining.

After completing the rookie joint voluntary training, the strong-armer reflected, "The environment was set up so that we could practice from morning until night, and I was able to spend every day immersed in baseball, which was very fulfilling." "I want to do my best so that I can survive in the first team with my own ability." He will use everything he learned from interacting with the legend as nourishment for himself. (Kato Hiroshi)