At Lotte's Miyakonojo spring training camp, new foreign players Castillo and Long, Miyazaki Hayato who joined from Softbank Hawks, and Inoue Kodai who joined from Hanshin Tigers in the active player draft are working hard at practice, aiming to perform well in their new homes.

Castillo entered bullpen for the second time since coming to Japan. "Today's theme was to focus on control and throw strike. I felt good today," he said.

In order to succeed in Japan, he cited "communication," saying, "I think communication with the team leadership as well as with my teammates is the key. I would like to build more and more relationships."

Along with Castillo, new foreign left-handed pitcher Long said of the Japanese camp so far, "It's really great. My teammates are all fighting with all their might, working hard and doing their best, so it's been a great camp." He is enjoying his days to the fullest.

"I want to pitch stably throughout the year. At the same time, I think it's best to be a pitcher who is trusted by the entire team and be able to make good pitch," he said, and he is determined to wave his arms for the win of The Marines.

Miyazaki Satoru, another left-handed pitcher, is improving the accuracy of fastball and breaking ball, saying, "I think I have been able to produce what I have been trying since last fall, so I will continue to work hard to show off my abilities so that I can be in the first team for the opening day of the season.

There are many rivals for lefty relievers, including new foreigners Castillo and Long. He said, "My strength in the straight line and on the basepaths are my selling points. It's a point I don't want to lose to anyone, so I'm going to pursue it and push it further," he said, fastball to set himself apart from other relievers.

Among fielder, Inoue is registered as outfielder, but on this day he received practice batting practice at third base and other positions. Even after individual batting practice and training tee practice, he silently pounded away indoors. He gives the impression of simply swinging the bat. Regarding his first training camp with The Marines, he said, "I'm doing fine," and when asked how much he's swinging compared to Hanshin Tigers, he replied, "I think it's more because we have training tee practice and stuff."

◆ Matsukawa: "I focus on the speed after catching the ball"

Ko Matsukawa is in his fifth season this year, said, "Last time I wasn't able to throw well, so I worked hard with Mitsuyama on that and I think I was able to throw better balls than last time. I was conscious of the speed after catching the ball, so I think that was good." He was praised for his throwing by coach Mitsuyama Hidekazu during individual defense practice.

The fifth year of the competition is crucial. "I think I have to get results in my first real match, so I think that's where I need to start, and I'd like to continue to show my skills," he said enthusiastically.

◆ Terachi and Kosuke Fukudome "gave me new insights"

Ryusei Terachi, who started early in batting practice on the 3rd, received advice on batting from Kosuke Fukudome, who was observing the game that day, saying, "I felt like I had a feeling that I didn't have before, and it taught me new things. I was taught a lot of things during the special batting practice, so I kept that in mind and I was able to hit the ball quite a bit more often, so I hope I can continue doing this."

When asked what Fukudome specifically told him, he said, "The main thing he mentioned was the timing of moving my left elbow. It's hard to put into words, but all I had to do was move my left elbow a little faster. After that, I just imagined sweeping the ball in front of me and hitting it without exerting any force, and I was able to hit it well. He taught me that during long tee practice, and I was impressed by how easily I was hitting the ball over the fence more and more often. It gave me the feeling that it was so easy to hit, so I was really pleased."

When we told Teraji that the ball that flew into center fielder back screen was a good hit, he smiled and said, "I was surprised too. I didn't realize it was going to go like that. I think it was really good."

(Jose Castillo pitcher = Ricky Santos Takata's interpreter)

(Interpreter pitcher Sam Long = Interpreter Junpei Murata)

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita