Sho Nakata (36), who retired at the end of last season, visited Nippon-Ham Fighters' Nago and Kunigami camps on the 6th. He criticized the team slogan "DOMI!", which was devised by infielder Kotaro Kiyomiya (26), but acknowledged his growth and expressed his expectations.

His presence is different. When Nakata, who visited the Nago camp for the first time in five years, was asked about "DOMI!", he gave it a blunt "two points." Regarding Kiyomiya's interest in winning the buzzword award, he compared it to his own famous quote, saying, "There's no way he could aim for it. If he could aim for a buzzword, it would be something like my "Level."

Still, he is pleased with the growth of his juniors. Regarding Kiyomiya's change, he said, "It's not just his face, but he's developed a sense of self-awareness and responsibility, so he's sharper." Since his "level-one" years in 2000, no Japanese player on the team has hit 30 home runs, but he expressed his hopes, saying, "There are players who can hit a lot. Like Mannami, Mizutani, and of course Kiyomiya."

After hearing Nakata's comments, Kiyomiya said, "That year was amazing. I want to make this a season of "level-up" too." His "level-up" performance will spread the "DOMI!" slogan and lead the team to victory in the league. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)