After the Lotte vs. Softbank Hawks game held at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 2nd, a retirement ceremony for Katsuya Kakunaka was held, and Daichi Ishii of the Hanshin Tigers sent a video message to Kakunaka.

Daichi Ishii commented, "Kakunaka-san, thank you so much for your hard work over these 20 years. Your success has been a goal and an inspiration for those of us from the independent leagues. From now on, I will do my best to get closer to the level you reached. Thank you truly for everything."

On social media, there were comments such as, "Is it because of the Fighting Dogs connection?" and "It makes sense since they're both from the Kochi FD."