On the 14th, Lotte announced that pitcher Yuto Kimura had participated in a "gum select" event at Zozo Marine Stadium that day, where he customized his original "professional gum" by choosing his preferred gum shape, hardness, and flavor.

"Professional Gum" is a gum provided to various athletes under the supervision of Visiting Professor Tomotaka Takeda (Japan Sports Association certified sports dentist) of the Department of Oral Health Science, Sports Dentistry Laboratory, Tokyo Dental College.

Developed with the aim of supporting athletes through their chewing power during training and matches, its distinguishing feature is that the hardness of the chewing remains consistent while chewing.

In addition to Yuto Kimura pitcher, Kaito Mouri pitcher, Kazuya Ojima pitcher, Kyuto Ueda infielder, Akito Takabe outfielder also created original professional gum this year. The types (shape, hardness, and flavor) of professional gum selected by Yuto Kimura pitcher this time are "Stick, Hard, and Energy.

▼ Yuto Kimura

"I knew that chewing power is linked to performance, but I haven't really focused on chewing training until now. So, I decided to seriously work on 'chewing' from now on, and this time I've made the gum harder to train. I'll do my best with my original gum so that I can perform at my best from the opening of the season and throughout this season."