The Orix Buffaloes announced on the 10th that they have signed a provisional contract with their first-round draft pick, pitcher Futo Kakuta.

Through Team X, Tsunoda expressed his enthusiasm, saying, 'Having signed a provisional contract, I am once again truly happy to realize that I will be able to play baseball on the professional stage, which has been my goal. I believe my strength lies in being able to get batters struck out with both my fastball and my breaking ball. I want to do my best to pitch in a way that utilizes that strength even on the professional stage. My goal is to join the starting rotation from the first year and win the Rookie of the Year award. In the future, I will work hard to become a pitcher who can dominate on the mound, like pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.'