Rakuten Eagles pitcher Ryota Takinaka (31) attended a contract renewal meeting in Sendai City on the 12th and signed for an annual salary of 46 million yen, an increase of 6 million yen (estimated amount).

In his seventh season this year, he appeared in 20 games, tying his personal best, and pitched a career-high 110 innings with a record of 6 wins, 9 losses, and an ERA of 4.17. While he held a record of 5 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 2.03 until July 14th, he struggled thereafter with 1 win and 6 losses, including a five-game losing streak, and an ERA of 7.48. 'I need to find a way to persevere when things are going poorly,' he said, writing the word 'Deepening' on a signature board as his aspiration for next season.

This off-season, he will work on increasing the average velocity of his fastball, which is a current challenge. This season, his maximum speed was 148 km/h, with an average in the 143 km/h range. He stated, 'Even if my max is 150 km/h, if the game average is only 144, I would rather have a max of 148 km/h but bring the game average up to 146-147 km/h.' He plans to approach this from both physical and mechanical perspectives.

Among the starter rotation, he intends to play a role that meets the team's needs. Rather than strictly adhering to a six-day rest rotation, he has prepared and pitched even with irregular schedules, such as ten days or three weeks of rest, or when traveling to regional stadiums. 'It is a job that is absolutely necessary for the team and someone has to do it. There is value in delivering solid results and securing a win in those situations,' he said. By utilizing his experience to deepen his knowledge and skills, he aims for double-digit wins for the first time since 2021, his second year, when he recorded 10 wins and 5 losses.