Lotte's Yuya Sakurai is spending fulfilling days at the Miyakonojo autumn camp.

On this day as well, even after individual practice, he continued to silently swing his bat until the very end at the Pie no Mi Dome along with Ryusei Ogawa, Ryusei Terachi, and others. 'It's about facing my challenges, but I was also frustrated that I couldn't hit in the first team, so I'm doing this with the mindset that I'll hit them one day,' he said, devoting himself to producing results on the first-team stage.

Having appeared in 6 games in the first squad this season, he made his first professional starting line-up appearance as the 'number 8 third baseman' in the Softbank Hawks game on October 2nd, which was his second promotion. In his third at-bat with two outs and no runner in the 7th inning with the score tied 1-1, he hit the fourth pitch, a 138 km/h outside fork thrown by Yugo Maeda on a 1 ball 2 strike count, into center fielder for his first professional hit. He raised his right hand and made a victory pose on first base.

He was promoted to the first team for the first time on May 31 and made his professional debut as a pinch hitter in a game against the Hanshin Tigers that same day. After appearing in two games, he was removed from the first-team roster on June 4. Since returning to the farm team, he has changed his 'way of looking at the ball,' stating, 'I used to swing at balls outside the zone, and while I still do that sometimes, I think I've become better at identifying them.'

After changing his way of "tracking the ball" and facing first-team pitchers, he said, "Since being called up, I've been given the chance to play in many games. During those games, I've been tracking the ball while also making sure to swing aggressively. I've been working through the games by tracking the ball while still showcasing my strengths and key selling points."

After appearing in six games with the first team, he is facing himself in both offense and defense this autumn, stating, 'I am at a level where new challenges arise every single day during practice. I believe this is a period where I can prepare the quality of my hits and throws to my satisfaction each day, so I am focusing on confronting those aspects.'

Looking ahead to next season, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, 'Regardless of whether I am with the farm team or the first squad, I want to produce solid results. Given my age, I am at a stage where I can build a foundation and take on various challenges. I want to be proactive and ambitious in trying many different things.'

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita