Lotte's autumn practice was held at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 21st.

Toshiya Sato appeared in 132 games this season, recording a .225 batting average, 18 Home Run, 57 RBI, 48 Walk, and an OPS of .710. His Home Run, RBI, Walk, and OPS were all personal season highs. Defensively, he caught a team-high 128 games as a catcher, and his stolen base prevention rate was .319, ranking third in the league, with many instances of him throwing out runners seen from August onwards.

This autumn, he set a goal for 'improvement across all levels,' stating, 'This includes physical conditioning; although I am currently doing weight training and other exercises, I felt the need to rebuild my body once more and build up my basic physical strength to eliminate inconsistencies in my performance.'

"I was playing in innings I had never played before. Of course, I played in '24, but it was about half and half—if there were six games, I would play catcher for four and first baseman for the others. This was my first time playing this much as a catcher, so it was naturally tough. I realized I need to build more basic physical strength to overcome that, so I want to work on my physical conditioning and then level up my technical skills as an application of that," he said, explaining the necessity of physical training and improving his technical abilities.

I wonder if playing many games as a catcher this year allowed him to observe the opponents' form and adjust his pitch calling in anticipation of future matchups.

Of course I had an image in mind, but there were some pitchers who could throw to those spots and some who couldn't, which was the most difficult part. If a pitcher can't throw there even when trying, it ends up with balls coming first and leads to a difficult distribution of pitches. I felt that was an important point in evaluating a pitcher. For pitchers who can execute their throws, I think we were able to talk to some extent, including the relievers, about things like how we should adjust based on the previous pitch distribution. Regarding that, I hope to continue doing it while getting to know the pitchers better.

Lucchesi, who joined the team mid-season, did not use his splitter much as a finishing pitch when he first arrived in Japan, but he began using it frequently toward the very end of the season; I wonder if that was the result of discussions suggesting he should start using it.

I used it because it felt good. With just the fastball, curve, and two seam fastball, I couldn't get them struck out. Since it was a pitch that could surprisingly get them struck out while I was throwing, and it was the most effective tool I had, I thought it would broaden my range, so I used it quite a bit from the second and third games onward.

The battle for next season has already begun. Reflecting on this season, he stated clearly that for next year, "First, I want us to get into the A-class and be in the hunt for the championship." He added, "The Hawks are in first place by a wide margin, and I think every team feels that games-behind gap, but it is not interesting if they just run away with it. I believe our team has the quality to break into that top tier. I hope we can work together as a group to achieve that." While striving to improve his own level, he showed the reliable attitude of a core player who is determined to see the team win.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita