Orix Buffaloes pitcher Alen Kuri (35) vowed on the 6th to fight alongside Higashihama, whose transfer from the Softbank Hawks to Hiroshima via a free trade was finalized. Higashihama was his senior by one year at Asia University, and Kuri has long looked up to him as a fellow right-handed starting pitcher. He shared his special feelings regarding the move.

His spirit of taking on challenges is amazing. Following Higashihama's example, I want to keep pitching for a long time as well. During their university days when they both aimed to go professional, he said he was always following right behind him, and the things he learned are immeasurable. He joined the Carp, where he played from 2014, his rookie year, until 2024. I feel a strange sense of fate, he said with a smile.

In his second season since joining as a free agent, he finished with 9 wins and 12 losses, while the team also sank to a 'B-class' finish for the first time in two years. The 'iron-armed' pitcher, who continues his independent training based in Maishima, Osaka, expressed his anticipation for a 'reunion' during the interleague games, saying, 'We haven't pitched against each other yet, so I want to look forward to that.' Both are in positions where they are considered veterans. He will turn this new inspiration into strength and walk the path he believes in. (Toru Osada)