On the 9th, Orix Buffaloes outfielder Yutaro Sugimoto (34) vowed to "fight together" with new foreign player Seymour. He is very happy to welcome the left-handed long-range hitter, who, like himself, is known for his long-range hitting and boasts impressive driving distance. "We talked about how we should work hard together during the season. Since I can't speak English, I hope I can go out to dinner with an interpreter," he said, volunteering to support Seymour.

Both are "big men" standing 190cm tall and weighing over 100kg. At the Miyazaki training camp, he lined up at the batting box for the lunch special batting practice for three consecutive days from the first day, and witnessed their destructive power firsthand. He himself was Home Run king in 2021 with 32 home runs, but was astonished, saying "their hitting speed is faster than mine." When asked about Japanese pitching, he said, "They don't attack properly. The foreigners mainly use dropping balls. I'm similar to them in terms of how they attack," and he intends to offer advice based on his experience.

Entering his 11th year as a professional, Raoh called on his teammates to "work hard together and push each other to improve." The ultimate ideal scenario is for these two sluggers, one left-handed and the other right-handed, to compete for Home Run title. With the two of them adding depth to the batting lineup, the championship awaits them for the first time in three years. (Shunta Nanbu)