On the 25th, Koshiro Hiroike of the Lotte Marines took the mound in a game Orix Buffaloes at the "2026 Miyazaki Spring Baseball Games" and closer runs for one inning.
Hiroike, who took the mound in the ninth inning with a score of 1-6, allowed the leadoff Ryoma Yamanaka to get on base with a walk, but when he got two outs on the following Taishi Hirooka, he finally hit Tomoya Mori with a fly ball and cleared the 1 inning with only 8 pitches.
Hiroike runs in a training game against Hiroshima on February 18th, but in a training game against Yakult on February 15th, he finished the first inning with only eight pitches, striking out all three batters.
◆ Having experienced the first team last season, his second year is an important one
In his first season as a professional last year, Hiroike made his first appearance and first start as a professional on June 21st against DeNA. In the first inning, closer out all three batters with powerful pitch, with 8 of his 10 pitches being fastball. However, in the second inning, he gave up consecutive Home Run to Hideto Maki, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, and Yasutaka Togashi, making it a bittersweet first appearance for him, as he gave up 4 runs hit 2 innings.
After his first start, he worked in the farm to get count on breaking ball to pitch in the first team mound again, and was promoted again on July 19. After his promotion, he worked as a reliever and pitched in the 6th inning of a 1-1 game Seibu Lions on August 3, and pitched two innings without allowing a hit runs closer for the first time hold in his professional career. On September 17, he pitched the 8th inning of a 1-1 game Orix Buffaloes for the first time runs closer and got a win in the 9th inning win for the first time in his professional career. In his first year as a pro, he pitched 18 games and 20 1/3 innings, finishing with a 1-3 record hold and a 4.87 ERA ERA.
During his first off-season since turning pro, he did voluntary training with teammate Sawada Keisuke and Yamamoto Yoshinobu, who is active with the Dodgers. "Since the middle of last season, Sawada (Keisuke) has been doing daily training, and when I saw it I thought it might suit me, so I became interested. I told Keisuke Sawada about it, and asked (Yamamoto) Yoshinobu and others, and we actually did it together," he said.
"The theme of my training was really to control my body well," he recalled, adding that training with Sawada and Yamamoto was a fulfilling experience, saying, "The most important thing is preparation. I was able to learn once again through this training that preparation for pitching is really important."
During the Miyakonojo spring training camp, he entered bullpen on February 2nd and pitched in a live BP on the 7th, throwing a total of 20 pitches against Koki Yamaguchi and Ryusei Ogawa, closer the number of hit balls to one.
In terms of pitch, last season he was looking to make fastball stronger, but he said, "This year too, fastball is the ball I'm most confident in, so I think I'll continue to throw high-quality fastball." He intends to continue throwing powerful fastball.
The training camp is held in Miyakonojo, Hiroike's hometown, but he said, "There's nothing particularly different to do, so I feel at ease and don't feel like I'm in my hometown. A lot of people I know will be there, so I feel like I have to do my best." He was impressive as he carefully signed autographs for The Marines fans who visited the training camp.
Returning to the topic of baseball, after the All-Star break last season he gained experience in the first team, and how he utilizes that experience in his second year this season will be extremely important. "Like last year, it would be a waste if I got injured. I want to spend the whole year without injury, and not be satisfied with last year's performance, so I would like to pitch as a starter if possible, so I would like to make an impression from now on and pitch in the first team." So far he has only pitched one inning in external games, but whether he is used as a starter or a reliever, he would like to compete in the first team for the whole year.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
