Lotte's Hayate Miyazaki entered the bullpen on the 11th, the first day of the third phase of the Miyakonojo autumn camp.

In the game against the Rakuten Eagles on September 9, he said, 'I talked with the pitching coordinator and the pitching coach, and they suggested I try throwing that way once, so I did. It felt like a test run or just trying it out once,' as he threw while coming to a complete stop after lifting his right leg. However, since the Rakuten Eagles minor league game on August 15, he has mostly been throwing in a quick-motion style, stating, 'I used to get too tense and often lose my timing, so after discussing it with the minor league pitcher coach, Mr. Fukuura, and various others to find my own form, I thought that style might be the best for me right now. I've been trying that style and it's working well, so I'm planning to go with that form.'

Looking at his pitches in the bullpen that day, he was throwing with a quick-motion style. He explained, "Right now, this suits me better, and I can throw without using unnecessary force compared to when I lift my leg, so I'm going with this approach."

Finished the season with five consecutive games with zero runs allowed.

Miyazaki finished the season with five consecutive games with zero runs allowed, from the Rakuten Eagles game on September 16th at the very end of the season to the Seibu Lions game on October 6th. One wonders if he has an image of this momentum carrying over into next season.

Towards the very end, there were times when I was getting hit because I relied too much on my fastball. Thanks to advice from Manager Saburo and others, I was able to re-examine my pitching style and how to work as a closer during the second half of the season. There were games where I managed to hold the opponent to zero runs, so I will work to make that style my own.

Regarding this autumn and winter, he said, 'My goal is to pitch in the first team for the entire year next year. To achieve that, I want to make this a winter of growth by addressing and eliminating each of the negative issues that surfaced this year.'

When asked specifically about his challenges, he revealed, 'I am currently working on my finishing pitches after getting ahead in the count, the control of my crossfire fastball and its counterpart pitches, and maintaining my characteristic power while keeping that control.'

In the final stages of the season, he utilized a variety of pitches to keep putting zeros on the scoreboard. In the next season, his second since transferring, he aims to secure a spot on the first-team roster using his powerful fastball as a weapon.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita