Rakuten Eagles pitcher Daichi Shibata attended a contract renewal meeting in Sendai City on the 7th and signed for an annual salary of 12 million yen, an increase of 3 million yen.

This day was his 29th birthday. When he appeared at the press conference venue, he made everyone laugh by saying, 'Thank you for coming to my birthday press conference today.'

In his second season since transferring from Yakult via the active player draft, his number of appearances surged from 6 games the previous year to 32 games this season. Having been entrusted with a role as a reliever in winning patterns at times, he smiled and said, 'I am grateful,' regarding his first salary increase in his five-year professional career.

The goal for next season is to appear in 50 games. Aiming for further growth, he identified his challenges, stating, 'I want to improve the accuracy of both my fastball and my breaking ball.'