Masashi Saito and Tomotaka Sakaguchi, who appeared on "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 2nd, commented on Rakuten Eagles 's Kenta Maeda.

Kenta Maeda is returning to Japanese baseball this season for the first time since 2015. Saito said, "It's wonderful that he can still pitch this well after coming back from the majors. I was wondering how the ball would be, as there are differences in the ball. It's said that the Japanese ball is easier to throw, so he might be able to make breaking ball move differently than before, and I think he can achieve a certain level of success if he can just pitch, so I'm looking forward to it."

Sakaguchi said, "From what I can see, nothing has changed yet; he's still the same pitcher Maeda. I think he's also developed and improved his skills since going to the majors, and he has things he needs to pass on to younger players. As (Saito) Masaki said, I think he definitely needs to get used to the ball and mound again. He's a skillful pitcher, so I don't think it will take that long, but Rakuten will be in trouble if he doesn't get to work at full capacity as Rakuten Eagles."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"