Lotte announced on the 25th that they have notified outfielder Aito that his contract will not be renewed for the next season.

Aito joined in 2024 through the active player draft. His strong point is his airtight outfield defense. He says, 'I am always looking for openings in the opponent, but I have no desire to make a good play for myself. I practice and play with the mindset that getting this out could save a pitcher's life, and failing to catch it could end a pitcher's life. I play defense for the sake of others.'

He has protected the pitcher's baseball life. Furthermore, he has made difficult hits look easy to catch. In the Seibu Lions game on April 17, 2024, with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a runner on second, Takayoshi Yamamura hit a deep fly ball near the right field wall. He made the catch while crashing into the wall as if it were nothing.

"I think both the pitcher and the catcher feel uneasy when someone catches the ball while acting timidly or barely making the catch. It is about how easily you can make a difficult hit—one that others would struggle to catch—look. By doing that, I think they will feel relieved, knowing that if the ball flies toward Aito, it will be okay. I believe it is about that relationship of trust; anyone can catch a difficult hit in a difficult way. I do not think just anyone can catch a difficult hit easily, so I make those preparations in advance."

During pre-game practice drills like fungo and fielding, he practices while calculating factors such as the wind at Zozo Marine Stadium that day. 'Batted balls in batting practice are different from those in a game. So, there are many things to consider, right? Like what situation that person is currently in, what the base-running situation is, what their condition is, whether they can hit to a certain spot given this pitcher's velocity range, or the one thing you absolutely must not do. I organize all of that in my head before I go out there.'

In my case, I spend a lot of time watching from the bench, but even though it might look like I'm just staring blankly, I'm actually observing things like how a player is hitting, how they want to hit, and what their current situation is. I take all of those factors into account when I decide exactly where to position myself for defense.

In a game against Hiroshima on June 9th of the same year, with the score tied 1-1 in the 8th inning and one out with runners on first and second, center fielder Akito Takabe attempted a diving catch on Ryuhei Matsuyama's hit to left-center but knocked it behind him; however, left fielder Aito, who was backing him up, handled it quickly and did not allow the first-base runner to score.

"Since it is my biggest selling point and something I have confidence in, it has become second nature to me. I have been able to do it consistently by thinking of it as a matter of course rather than something I have to force myself to do, so I want to continue doing it that way without changing."

Awareness of base running

Even when running, he can perform base running that takes advantage of the opponent's openings, and his awareness of this is very high. 'Everyone works hard focusing on batting, but I have always thought that baseball is not just about hitting. There is defense and there is also base running. It is not that base running is unnecessary just because you cannot get a stolen base; if you cannot get a stolen base, you should make your first step faster and use good judgment to return home from second base as a runner, or go from first to third. Hitting an outfield fly is difficult and not an easy thing. Since the batter is hitting a fly ball, if you can get a good start even if it is a bit shallow, I do not think it is a matter of foot speed.'

Particularly this season, in the game against the Softbank Hawks on June 28, with the score 0-3 in the 5th inning and a runner on first with no outs, he showed great base running by tagging up to second base after observing Kensuke Kondo's catch posture on Atsuki Tomosugi's fly ball to left.

"Basically, I think whether a move like base running or defense is doable or not is up to my own judgment. When I used that kind of grip on outfielder and got into that position, I felt I could go for it, so I went for it."

In the game against the Orix Buffaloes on September 6th, with a 3-0 lead in the 9th inning and two outs with a runner on second, Ryusei Gonda threw a 132-kilometer fork on the 5th pitch with a 1 ball 2 strike count against Tsuyoshi Yamasaki, during which the runner completely stole the pitch motion and successfully completed a stolen base of third. 'baseball is not just about batting. base running is about exploiting gaps if they exist, and defense is about not creating those gaps. I always keep that in mind. I have walked through my baseball life being taught that way. I don't want to change that, so I always maintain that awareness.'

Bunt, right-handed hitter

In terms of batting, last season he successfully executed sacrifice bunts on all four opportunities on the very first pitch, with three of those leading to runs. Regarding situations where a 100% success rate is required, Aito said, 'Personally, I try not to over-concentrate or think too much about definitely succeeding. The more I think I must do it, the more I stiffen up. I don't think about it being a must. I try to relax as much as possible and just keep the bat out in front. I don't change the angle from there. My image is just letting the ball hit the bat when it comes.' However, it can be said that his high success rate is due to his daily preparation.

"Advancing the runner" is also a weapon. In the game against the Seibu Lions on August 4th of this year, trailing by two runs in the second inning, Lotte created a chance with runners on first and second and no outs against Seibu Lions starter Kaima Taira, after lead-off hitter Kyuto Ueda drew a Walk and Ryusei Ogawa reached on a bunt hit. Aito then stepped into the batter's box.

"Ultimately, we scored 5 runs yesterday (August 4th), but pitcher was Taira, who isn't the type of pitcher who can create many scoring opportunities. He's one of the best pitcher in all 12 teams, so I thought there wouldn't be many chances for us to create opportunities. In the first inning, we had a chance but couldn't score. I had the feeling that creating a scoring opportunity with Taira was probably our last chance, so I was determined to do whatever it took to score."

Aito said, "The sign wasn't for a bunt, so I thought about what I could do right now and decided that a ground ball to advance the runners was the correct answer, or rather, the best thing to do. It was more about connecting to the next batter than getting a hit. With one out and runners on second and third, and Yamasaki in the 9th spot, followed by Kyota (Fujiwara) and Miki (Nishikawa), I thought it would be better to connect to them against Taira, so I made that choice." On the sixth pitch, a fastball thrown by Taira with a count of 3 balls and 2 strikes, he hit a ground ball to the second baseman between first and second base, advancing runner Ogawa from first and runner Ueda from second. While Aito has been working hard with a focus on extra-base hits, and surely had a strong desire to produce results in his first starting line-up appearance since the Orix Buffaloes game on July 26th when his turn came up in a scoring opportunity, he chose the method that would lead to the team scoring.

"I have always said that it is not just about getting hits or hitting home runs; it is not just about hitting. I believe that baseball is about having to perform team batting, bunts, hit-and-runs, and stolen bases, as well as playing solid defense." Lead-off hitter Kyota Fujiwara hit a timely single to right field, and Aito's advancing hit led to a run.

I've never been good at strategy, bunting, end-runs, right-handed hitter and the like, so I'm prepared to make sure I can do that. But there are times when I just can't do it. There are times when I want to hit it right but can't because it's too difficult, and there are times when pitcher would totally win out. There is no guarantee that you will be able to bunt, so I am trying to raise the probability of that, not only hitting, but also base running, defense, bunting, end runs, right-handed hitter, sacrifice fly, and if a hit goes along with that, then I am conscious of it all.

Although Lotte notified him that they would not be renewing his contract for next season, it is a fact that Aito has remained unwavering, doing what he can and facing baseball every day so as not to have any regrets. He has contributed to the team in inconspicuous ways through his flawless outfield defense, base running that exploits the opponent's lapses, and self-sacrifice such as bunting and hitting as a right-handed hitter while still being particular about extra-base hits. According to the press release sent by the club, Aito stated, 'I wish to continue my active career.' I want to see him playing dynamically on the ground in a different uniform next season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita