It was revealed on the 28th that the Orix Buffaloes will invite team alumnus Kazuki Kondo (43) to serve as a pitcher coach. Although he has no prior coaching experience in NPB, he has a wealth of achievements and experience from his playing days, having appeared in a total of 347 games as both a starter and a reliever. It is expected that there will be no obstacles to his acceptance, and his return to the team for the first time in 11 years is likely to be realized.

Kondo won the Koshien championship with Nichidai San in the summer of 2001 and joined Kintetsu as the seventh-round draft pick that same year. Following the team merger, he played for the Orix Buffaloes starting in 2005. He was traded to Yakult in the middle of 2016. In 2018, he was honored as the best reliever for the first time. From 2021, he served as a player-coach for Kagawa in the Shikoku Island League. He retired from the front lines after 2022 and has since coached in various fields, including student baseball. Recently, he has also been active as a baseball commentator, primarily for Orix Buffaloes games. He has many former teammates among the current staff, including Manager Kishida, who is entering his third year in office.

In addition to Kondo, scout Komatsu Sei (45) and former The Giants pitcher Kondo Daisuke (35), now in public relations, have also moved into pitcher coach roles. infielder Masahiro Nishino (36), who retired from playing at the end of this season, has also taken on the role of hitting coach, and each is expected to play a key role in developing young players. The team concluded its autumn training in Maishima, Osaka, on this day. Former Rakuten Eagles manager Miki Hajime (49) will serve as head coach, and pitcher and pitcher coach Yoshihisa Hirano (42), who retired along with Nishino, will serve as the second-team manager, solidifying the coaching staff for the autumn camp starting November 1st.