Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's Hiromi Ito to take on the MLB challenge

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham announced that it has approved pitcher Hiromi Ito 's transfer to Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States using the posting system and has begun the application process. After the procedures, all 30 MLB teams will be able to negotiate with pitcher Ito for 45 days.

Pitcher Ito recorded 14 wins and a .737 winning percentage in 2024, winning the double crown for most wins and highest winning percentage. In the following year, 2025, in addition to his second consecutive title for most wins, he also won the titles for most strike outs and the Eiji Sawamura Award. This season, he achieved an ERA of 3.18 in 26 appearances, reaching double-digit wins for the fifth time and for the third consecutive year.

Furthermore, this year, Hanshin Tigers' Teruaki Sato and Saitama Seibu Lions' pitcher Kaima Taira have also been permitted to move to MLB using the posting system.

Orix Buffaloes: Hajime Miki and Tatsuya Shimozono Appointed as Coaches

Orix Buffaloes announced the appointments of Hajime Miki as first-team head coach and Tatsuya Shimozono as first-team batting coach. Coach Miki's number has been set to "88", and Coach Shimozono's number to "84".

Coach Miki took office for his second stint as manager of Tohoku Rakuten Eagles in 2025 and stepped down after taking a leave of absence in June of this year. Coach Shimozono also served as a batting coach for Tohoku Rakuten Eagles starting in 2025, and his departure was announced on October 6th.

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