It feels like things just became vague. I think it ended with a result that was neither good nor bad. For me, rather than saying I overcame it, 'leaving it unresolved' feels more accurate.

Lotte's Shuta Takano faced the "sophomore slump," but his self-analysis was that his performance was not at a level he could call "good."

Last season, his third year as a professional, Takano aimed for a spot in the starting rotation but primarily pitched in long relief after the season opened. By proving himself there, he climbed the ranks and was eventually entrusted with the eighth inning in winning situations. He finished the season with 37 appearances, pitching 53 2/3 innings with a record of 5 wins, 3 losses, 15 holds, and an ERA of 1.84.

During an interview on October 17th last year after the season ended, he vowed to overcome the 'second-year jinx,' stating, 'I've heard there's a bit of a jinx at Lotte where players don't perform well for two consecutive years. To prevent that, I want to continue playing at the forefront of the first team. I expect opponents to have more strategies against me, so I want to spend this off-season developing the skills necessary to stay one step ahead of them.'

In his fourth season this year, he pitched 66 innings across 32 games, recording 4 wins, 4 losses, 4 holds, and an ERA of 2.86. Since August, he pitched 27 innings in 4 games as a starter, achieving a Quality Start (6 innings with 3 or fewer earned runs) in all 4 games and maintaining a stable performance with 3 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA of 1.67.

Even so, looking back, he said, 'After all, I left results last year as a reliever that I was relatively satisfied with, and I wanted to continue in a winning pattern at the beginning of this year. I spent a heavy first half of the season unable to live up to the expectations Saburo-san had for me in that regard. At that time, I had a strong feeling that this might be what people call a jinx.'

At the very beginning, I was given the chance to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, but as I gradually moved into trailing situations, I was not satisfied with my performance at all. There were many games where I failed to meet the goal of returning to the dugout with zero runs allowed. In that regard, it wasn't very good, he said, expressing regret over his inability to perform effectively as a reliever.

He showed great energy after being converted to a starting pitcher. He explained the reason why he couldn't overcome the 'sophomore slump,' saying, 'I feel very fortunate that I was given another chance in a different position during the second half of the season, even though I hadn't performed well as a reliever. In response to that, I think I was able to demonstrate what I'm capable of. I feel I fulfilled the minimum duties of a starter, which was a positive point, but I don't feel like I've truly overcome the jinx.'

As of the interview on October 20th, he showed his readiness to prepare for either a starting or relief role, stating, 'My strength is that I can do both relief and starting. Being able to respond regardless of which one I am told to do is, in my mind, the most ideal stance. Personally, rather than shifting toward one or the other, I intend to prepare for both so that I am ready to handle either.'

His pitches were disappointing in early spring, but given the shortage of starting pitchers, the fact that Takano delivered results as a starter from summer onwards is a positive sign for both the team and himself heading into next season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita