Orix Buffaloes Ryuhei Sotani pitcher (25) declared his "samurai mode" super-fast finishing at the Miyazaki camp on March 31. The fourth-year left-hander was selected for the Japan WBC team for the first time in March, along with teammates Miyagi and Wakatsuki. He vowed to make the most of the limited time he has, saying, "I really need to finish faster than usual.

Since his selection for the national team was announced on January 26th, he has been practicing with the ball used in the WBC. Regarding the pitch combo he experienced in the November warm-up match against South Korea (Tokyo Dome), he said, "I got impatient and started throwing too quickly, so I want to make sure I take measures to deal with it properly," and will be working on it in bullpen from the first day of camp. An intrasquad game is scheduled for the 8th. "I'm grateful just to be able to pitch in a real game as soon as possible," he said. He will aim to improve his condition as much as possible before joining the Samurai Japan training camp on the 14th.

After completing voluntary training in the morning, he attended a meeting at the team accommodation in Miyazaki City. "I want to finish this season with Manager Kishida as the best manager in Japan," he said, promising to work at full speed this season. The ultimate goal is to achieve consecutive WBC victories and then become the team's first Japan champion in 22 years. A challenging season is about to begin. (Nambu Shunta)