Personally, this was the year I started the most games, but looking at the team's situation, there were chances to pitch even more, and I feel I should have done more.

Lotte's Tokito Kawamura pitched 49 innings across 9 games this season, his 6th year, including a career-high 8 starts, finishing with a 1-4 record and a 4.59 ERA.

In recent years, he has performed motion analysis and improved his form to increase the speed of his fastball, and looking toward 2026, he continued to seek strength in his fastball, stating, 'I went to the United States again this year specifically seeking ball speed.'

During the Miyakonojo spring training camp in February, he entered bullpen for the first time on the 2nd and pitched in a live BP on the 7th. He threw a total of 20 pitches to Akito Takabe and Kyota Fujiwara, closer the number of hit hits to just two. Throwing to hitter for the first time this year, he reflected, "I threw strike for the first time, and considering the cold weather, I think I can give myself a passing grade. I wanted to throw a stronger pitch, but I think I'll improve from here."

Ahead of the exhibition games, he expressed his determination, saying, "Of course, I think I'm being considered as a starter, so I don't want to fall apart with Walk. I want to be able to show what I've been working on. I want to be able to throw a strong fastball." He made his first appearance in an exhibition game of the season on February 14 against DeNA, runs one run in two innings, and then closer the opponent runs for three innings in a practice game against Hanwha of South Korea on February 22.

After this appearance, he adjusted as a starter in the farm league. He started four games in the farm league and, fully prepared, made his first first-team start of the season against the Seibu Lions on April 10. With the score 0-0 and one out with no runner in the first inning, he threw a 140 km/h inside fastball on the third pitch after a 2-ball count to Masayuki Kuwahara for a foul. Then, with two outs and no runner in the first inning, he threw an inside fastball on the second pitch after a 1-ball count to Junichiro Kishi for a foul, and induced a swing and miss with a 137 km/h inside fastball on the fourth pitch after a 2-ball 1-strike count, aggressively attacking the 'inside corner for right-handed hitters.'

I had originally been throwing to the inside corner against right-handed hitters, but compared to left-handed hitters, the variations for right-handers tend to be a bit more limited. Against lefties, I can use pitches like the cutter on the inside, but I don't have that kind of pitch for righties. Because of that, if I don't throw firmly to the inside, my variations will decrease, so I make sure to throw there.

On this day, there were times when he was made aware of the inside pitch, and he was able to hit it with the outside pitch. I think it's important to make fastball look fast, because if you don't use the inside pitch, you don't have the velocity, depending on the tendency of the opposing hitter. By using it, I think breaking ball will also become more effective."

In his first start of the season, he fulfilled his role as a starter with 6 innings, 92 pitches, 4 hits allowed, 5 strike outs, 0 BB, and 1 runs. He was removed from the first-team roster on April 12 for readjustment in the farm league. His energy-saving pitch style was notable, throwing 6 innings with 61 pitches against the Yakult second team on April 17, 6 innings with 67 pitches against the Softbank Hawks second team on April 28, 6 innings with 79 pitches against the Yakult second team on May 14, and 5 innings with 51 pitches against the Yakult second team on June 6.

"Ideally, I'd like to pitch with that number of pitches, which means fewer struck out, but I think having a low pitch count is ideal."

In the Seibu Lions minor league game on May 23rd, there was an increase in appearances where he threw shootballs to the inside corner against right-handed hitters, such as getting Reon Murata, the lead-off hitter in the 4th inning with the score at 2-1, to hit a ground ball to third base on the first pitch with an inside shootball.

He revealed that he is throwing the shootball quite a bit, saying, 'I'm throwing it quite often. I'm conscious of the type of outs I get, and since groundouts are better, that's what I'm aiming for.' While throwing the shootball, he also feels good about his fastball to the inside corner against right-handed hitters, noting, 'I think I'm able to hit the spots I'm aiming for.'

Regarding the speed of fastball, he explained, "It hasn't been that fast lately, but I've been getting more called struck out, and I'm at a stage where I want to expand the range of my pitching. Right now I'm not worried about speed and I'm just focusing on throwing the ball where I want it to go."

There's a feeling that he'll show a different side of himself in the first team. "I'm thinking it would be good if I could increase the number of pitches I throw, so if my fastball isn't working well, I think I can throw more sinkers. As pitcher, I'm trying to increase the number of closer so that I can have a variety of ways to get outs."

In the farm league, he completed innings with a low pitch count and gained confidence, stating, 'I have been pitching solidly in the roles assigned to me, and I have been able to go as many innings as I was told. I think I am not doing too badly.' Amidst this, he received a chance to start in the game against Nippon-Ham on June 24th, his first since the game against the Seibu Lions on April 10th.

In the game against Nippon-Ham on the same day, he struggled, giving up 6 runs in 5 innings. In the game against the Rakuten Eagles on July 1st, he threw 45 pitches by the second inning, but retired the side in order for three consecutive innings in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. In the end, he pitched 7 innings with 113 pitches, allowing 6 hits, recording 3 strike outs, and giving up no runs to earn his first win of the season.

"I'm able to do what I want to do. Of course, the level of the batters is high, but we also have more data than in the farm league, and if I pitch based on the data they've provided me with, I think I can manage somehow."

In the game against Nippon-Ham on July 8, where he held them to one run over five innings, he commented, 'Since they have a lineup capable of hitting home runs, I think I chose to try and induce ground balls as much as possible.' In the first inning with the score 0-0, he got the leadoff hitter Shun Mizutani to fly out to right on a second-pitch 142 km/h inside shootball after one strike. Then, with two outs and no runners in the same inning, he got Reyes to fly out to center on an inside shootball with a 2-2 count. Although they resulted in fly outs, he was aggressive in throwing shootballs to the inside corner of right-handed hitters from the very first inning.

In the game Orix Buffaloes on July 24, he took mound in the 9th inning with the score 2-1, aiming for complete game win, but gave up timely hits to Ryoma Yamanaka and Ryo Ota, resulting in walk-off loss. Nevertheless, he pitched 8 1/3 innings, throwing 117 pitches, hit 4 hits, strike out 3, BB 1, and giving up 3 runs, fulfilling his role as a starting pitcher well. "I think it was good that I was able to go to the 9th inning," he reflected.

In the Orix Buffaloes game that day, he runs in the first inning and Hit by Pitch the leads Kotaro Kobayashi in the second inning at 2-1. "Since it was after Hit by Pitch, I felt it wasn't very good, so it helped me focus and was really good. It was the moment I thought my double play was the best, so I think it was a good ball," he said, then took the following Keita Nakagawa with a shot from 2 balls 2 strike and struck it in two sets exactly as ordered.

I wonder if being able to get groundouts with a shootball provides a significant psychological advantage.

"pitcher originally hits a lot of fly balls. With my sinker and fork, and especially since I started learning the sinker, I've been getting a few more ground balls, so I'm pitching with the feeling that I can turn more double play than before."

"Depending on the batter, I thought I could go with a fastball, so I went with a fastball," he said. In the 2nd inning with two outs and no runner and a 2-1 lead, he got Ryu Sugisawa to swing and miss at a first-pitch 145 km/h outside fastball, followed by a called strike on a 116 km/h outside curveball, and then he struck out the batter on a 147 km/h outside fastball. It was a brilliant pitch using changes in speed. From the 3rd inning onwards, he retired the Orix Buffaloes lineup in order every inning through the 8th with a low pitch count and good tempo.

After being promoted back to the main roster on June 24th, while pitching as a starter, he murmured, 'Since I haven't been able to get many swings and misses or get batters struck out, it often leads to difficult outings, but there are games where I've managed to function as a closer within that. I think if I can increase the variety of pitches I throw and give everything I can in every game, I can at least maintain this level. I want to work a bit harder.'

Perhaps they want to get a strikeout with fork, since it's a swing and a miss.

"fork is one example, and fastball is another foul. Right now, it's split between straight shots and cutter, so of course, ideally, I'd like to push for more fastball."

Regarding that cutter, he mentioned in an interview on July 11th that 'the cutter is a convenient pitch, but I try not to use it too much,' yet it has become a pitch that supports his pitching along with his fastball, fork, and two-seamer.

"Looking at Avg, cutter is relatively low, and if used correctly, it can be an effective pitch. I don't want to completely eliminate it. However, I also think I need to make sure I don't forget about my fastball either, so rather than reducing it, I want to make sure I don't forget about it."

In the game against Nippon-Ham on July 31st, which was the first game after the All-Star break, he was entrusted with the starting mound. After becoming the lose pitcher with 5 runs in 4 innings, he also left the mound with 7 runs in 4 innings in the game against the Softbank Hawks on August 11th and was removed from the first-team roster.

He was promoted back to the first team on October 1st after a period of readjustment in the farm system, stating, 'Increasing my velocity is what I've been working on the most. I'm not sure yet if it has improved significantly, but that's what I've been focusing on.'

In the Nippon-Ham game on the same day, he pitched in relief, throwing 4 2/3 innings and allowing 5 hits and 2 runs. With the score at 0-3 in the 6th inning, the third pitch he threw to the lead-off batter Naoki Arizono—an inside 134 km/h sinker-style fork that induced a swinging strike after a 1-1 count—was excellent.

In the last game, there were some things I had been working on with my form while in the farm system, and I was able to come up to the main team with that progress. When I threw with a bit of conscious focus, the trajectory of my fork was getting quite a few swings and misses, so I think it felt like a good sensation.

While he had been working on the issue of getting swings and misses on his fork, he reflected on his final appearance, saying, 'Looking at that game alone, the fork was good, and I was also able to get swings and misses with my fastball, so I think it was good. Most importantly, it is best when swings and misses increase because of higher velocity. While I am trying out various sensations and forms, I want to keep the good feeling I had at the end while also taking on various challenges.' Being able to get a swing and miss with his fork in his final outing proved to be a significant takeaway.

This autumn, he is continuing to work on the strength of his fastball, which is a recurring challenge every year, stating, "To achieve that, I am reviewing my pitching form. Additionally, I am focusing on two main areas to strengthen my body so I can pitch throughout the entire year."

In order to throw a powerful fastball, he explained, 'Since I have the height, I believe my ball speed should be a bit higher, so I think I'm losing power somewhere in my form. I hope to find the right answer by completely changing my approach and trying out various sensations while throwing.'

Regarding next season, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, 'My goal is not to be a spot starter, but to pitch in the rotation for the entire year. Although I didn't have any major injuries this year, I felt how difficult it is to maintain my condition throughout the season. I want to make sure I can pitch in the first team for the full year.'

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita