Lotte's Daito Yamamoto is working hard on "building a foundation" this autumn.

During autumn practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, he was seen hitting from various stances, such as standing more upright or holding the bat horizontally. In a practice game against Samurai Japan on November 7, during his second at-bat in the third inning with two outs and no runners while trailing 0-8, he launched a home run into the left-field stands the moment he hit a 144 km/h fastball thrown by Natsuki Takeuchi on the second pitch after a one-ball count.

Regarding the stance, I feel that the current form is a good fit. I want to be able to swing using my core, so in that sense, the stance has changed.

During autumn practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, he was working hard on his batting drills while alternating between a plain wood bat and a black-and-white bat. He revealed the reason behind this, saying, 'The plain wood one has a different shape and more flex. I've been using the same bat for six years, so I'm trying something new with the thought of changing it for next year.'

During the autumn practice sessions, he mentioned that he wanted to "solidify the basics." Two weeks have passed since he arrived in Miyakonojo. One wonders if those "basics" are indeed being solidified.

Even during sessions like special batting practice where there is a high volume of balls, I make sure to treat each individual pitch with care, even if it takes a long time. Instead of just trying to finish quickly, I focus on every single ball. I am hitting this way to ensure I don't pick up any bad habits.

In camps like last year, I ended up swinging a lot, and I think there was a part of me that was looking for the easy way out, or rather, I was just going through the motions because the volume was so high. This autumn, I am working on taking my time, thinking about my form for every single ball, and making sure I can execute my swing within that process.

It is reported that he will enter the off-season by solidifying his fundamentals under the current circumstances. 'I want to work a bit more carefully starting this fall so that I can do this in games as well,' he said. During the winter, he will focus on solidifying his basics and improving their precision. Last season, he hit 11 Home Runs, the most among Japanese players on the team, and made his first All-Star Game appearance, but this season he hit 4 Home Runs in 79 games. He will now build the foundation to play a major role next season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita