This season, the Lotte relief squad, which 'lifted appearance management,' recorded a reliever ERA of 3.24, ranking 3rd in the league. Set-up man Shota Suzuki won the title for Best reliever pitcher, and closer Rikuto Yokoyama won the title for Most Saves.

During the era of former manager Masato Yoshii, the relief squad's appearances were managed such that they basically did not pitch in three consecutive games or more than four times in a week. During the three years from 2023 when former manager Yoshii took command, the only pitcher to pitch in three consecutive games was Hirokazu Sawamura during the 2023 Climax Series first baseman stage against the Softbank Hawks; no pitcher pitched in three consecutive games during that regular season. In the following year, 2024, Naoya Masuda did so once, and last season, there were no pitcher who pitched in three consecutive games.

In 2023, Koshiro Sakamoto pitched four or more times in a week twice, while Masuda and Taiki Tojo did so once. However, in 2024, no pitcher appeared four times in a single week, and last season, only Yokoyama did. The team did not establish a fixed winning pattern; instead, they frequently secured victories using multiple winning patterns based on the opposing team's batting order and the condition of the players.

This season, under the leadership of Manager Saburo, Yokoyama pitched three days in a row three times and Suzuki did so once. Additionally, Yokoyama and Suzuki pitched four or more times in a single week twice, while Keisuke Sawada and Akira Yagi each did so once.

When asked if there were any difficulties with fatigue or adjustments this season now that pitching restrictions have been lifted, Yokoyama said, 'Fatigue builds up when you pitch in many games, but I was able to take care of myself properly this year, so I don't think there were any particular problems.' Suzuki reflected, 'Well, it feels better to be able to pitch more, so I think that aspect was perfectly fine.'

Suzuki experienced his first three-game pitching streak from the Seibu Lions game on September 25th at the very end of the season to the Nippon-Ham game on September 27th, but he kept a cool face, saying, 'The three-game streak was easier than I thought. There was some fatigue afterward, but I was more okay than I expected.'

Yokoyama also recorded his 35th save in the game against the Rakuten Eagles on October 4th, which was his third consecutive day of pitching, securing his first-ever title. Under the relief pitcher management used until last season, there was a possibility that he would not have pitched for a third straight day.

Coach Tomohiro Kuroki evaluated Yokoyama and Suzuki, who won titles, saying, "I think those two were in intense situations from the middle to the end of the games. baseball players do care about titles and statistics. While numbers may be the result of hard work, when such things are right in front of them or the surrounding environment dictates whether they should aim for them or not, players have to pitch through those tense situations. I think the fact that they ultimately achieved league-leading results under such circumstances is highly commendable."

While the appearance management restrictions were lifted, Yokoyama and Suzuki continued to take the mound in winning games. Coach Kuroki expressed his appreciation, saying, 'At first, I was thinking a lot about how to manage the rotation. I told them last autumn that the usage would change from last year—it wouldn't be a case of having the next day off just because they pitched on consecutive days, and that the load would increase. I wanted them to be prepared to throw even under a significant load and to train properly for that. They fulfilled that perfectly. That said, it wasn't about having them pitch four or five days in a row, but I didn't want them to assume they wouldn't pitch today just because they had already pitched consecutively. I was really helped by the fact that Suzuki, Yokoyama, and the other pitchers all had the mindset of being willing to pitch as much as needed for the sake of the team.'

From Coach Kuroki's perspective regarding Yokoyama and Suzuki's preparation, he said, 'They are doing a solid job. I see them coming in early in the morning to run, and they are handling their training and body care. Even without being told, they were doing their training, preparation, running, and weightlifting, anticipating what they should do in this situation. Since they were in the bullpen until last year, I wasn't that worried even when they were in the dugout. However, as they pitched on consecutive days, there were many parts where I had to be careful that their performance might drop. There were times when they delivered performances that overturned those concerns. Since they are pitchers who inevitably only end up throwing in situations where we have the lead or the game is tied, their opportunities to pitch decrease when we have a losing streak or are behind. I think it was a difficult situation for them, especially in July when their number of appearances decreased. Even so, they managed to overcome it well, and their appearances increased from the end of August through September. I believe it is a testament to their ability that they handled that period so well.'

The existence of Masuda

Shunsuke Nakamori appeared in 42 games, primarily pitching in the 7th inning of winning games before Suzuki. Keisuke Sawada appeared in 42 games and Fumiya Ono in 41 games, mainly in tied or trailing situations. Masuda, who supported the team as a closer from the late 2010s to the early 2020s, had fewer appearances in winning patterns but gave his all for the team in games where they were behind.

Coach Kuroki expressed his gratitude, saying, 'I take my hat off to him the most. Despite being a player of his caliber, he pitched in situations where he had to eat up innings while the team was trailing by a large margin. Normally, anyone would want to flip the table in frustration. But I am truly impressed by how he suppressed those feelings and kept working toward his goal of moving up from that position, higher and higher, aiming to eventually pitch at the very end of the game.'

Yagi performed exceptionally well in the long-distance role.

Akira Yagi appeared in 46 games, pitching 59 2/3 innings—more than the number of games played—and recorded 9 wins, 1 loss, 11 holds, and an ERA of 2.11. He pitched in various situations, including long relief early in games and taking the mound in the middle of an inning after the starter.

In the bullpen, Yagi said, 'I'm preparing because I think it will be in the early innings, like the 5th or 6th,' and explained the behind-the-scenes process, saying, 'I'm always ready by the 5th inning, doing things like stretching, engaging my core, and running so that I'm prepared for a sudden appearance.'

After stepping onto the mound, he swung his arm and said, 'I am focusing on pitching my own game without letting too many runners get on base, and keeping a good tempo.'

Regarding the factors behind his strong performance in long relief, he revealed, "Having been allowed to start in the farm league, I learned how to manage innings and how to pitch. I probably can't go 4 or 5 innings with pure power like a starter, so I focus on relaxing and prioritizing control. Right now, I think it's easier to get outs by letting them hit the ball with pitches like my two seam fastball. Because I'm pitching that way, I'm getting more routine outs and keeping my pitch count low."

Many relief pitchers are exempt from autumn training

In previous years around this time, relief pitchers in their 20s and early 30s such as Ono, Sawada, Yagi, Yokoyama, and Suzuki often participated in autumn practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, but while Yokoyama participated in the early stages, the other players were basically exempt.

I wonder if it's because he pitched for a full year, or if it's because he can think for himself, that he isn't participating in the autumn practice at Zozo Marine Stadium.

Coach Kuroki explained, "It is both. I want to treat the players as adults for the fact that they have done their jobs properly. Within me, I feel I must treat and respond to them in that way as proof that they have done what they needed to do as individual players. I want to treat them as adults. I want them to pitch and also take proper care of themselves. Now it is their responsibility to determine what they must do in the autumn and how they will head toward next year during the off-season; these are things they must do as baseball players. With that meaning in mind, there are some players I have allowed to be free from the moment the season ended."

I wonder if it is fair to say that they have moved up to the next level as a player.

That is how I evaluate the situation. However, in exchange for becoming a free agent, responsibility follows. They must work under immense pressure to see if they can fulfill those responsibilities properly next year. In that sense, there are difficult aspects for them.

It is a point of concern whether the relief corps, including Yokoyama and Suzuki who won titles this season, can perform as well next year without experiencing a 'backlash' from this season's workload. Regarding the management of the bullpen for next season, Coach Kuroki stated, 'We have to see what kind of condition the players who produced results this year are in next spring. Naturally, we will take that into consideration.' He further added, 'There will be players who grow, and there will be new additions to the roster. It is possible that various roles might change. Together with the manager, the pitching coordinator, and the pitching coaches, we intend to think it through and do our best.'

Based on this season, it will be interesting to see how the 2027 relief corps will be utilized.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita