Orix Buffaloes outfielder Ryoto Kita (24) expressed his joy over the first pregnancy of his wife, professional golfer Karen Tsuruoka (27). Tsuruoka made the announcement on her social media on the 16th. Kita stated, "I want to be responsible and support my family," as he looks forward to the expected due date in March.

In this season, his sixth year as a professional, he appeared in a career-high 103 games. He made a significant leap forward with a .260 batting average and career highs in both Home Runs (9) and RBI (43). Since July, he recorded two Home Runs in a single game on three occasions. He expressed his determination, saying, 'Since I started in the minor leagues this year, I want to do my best to be active from the very beginning next year.'

Currently, he is on a no-throw program due to poor conditioning of his upper body. He emphasized, "This is not the time to push it. I will resume once it is fully healed."