Orix Buffaloes He Alen Kuri pitcher made his first start of the season with a personal-best 12 strike out in each inning, Pacific League the first shutout game of the season. It was his second consecutive shutout win, spanning the season since last September 29 Rakuten Eagles against Kyocera D. One day after the 0-10 loss in the season opener, the right-hander, a second-year FA transfer, took revenge by shutout game returning to the lineup.

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Orix Buffaloes 's Kuri doesn't like the status quo. "I've never thought of myself as a good pitcher. I want to get better and I want to continue playing for a long time." This is because he aspires to be like Tsuyoshi Wada (former Softbank Hawks), who set a new personal best in the final stages of his career, and his teammate Iwasaki.

Last season, his first year with the team, he contacted a coach specializing in pitch form via the internet. "My bad habit is releasing the ball with my elbow forward," he said, explaining that he incorporated fly catch practice (throwing a ball in an arc at a distance similar to the distance between bases) to correct it. "My physical condition is constantly changing. I have to do what's best for me at that time." The practice of throwing an American football, which he started in 2024 while with Hiroshima, has become a new routine for injury prevention.

"Even if a new endeavor goes wrong, it will still be a valuable learning experience, so the positives will definitely outweigh the negatives. I want to challenge myself in various ways and have no regrets." His goal for his 13th year as a professional is 230 inning. With an insatiable desire for improvement, he will make the impossible possible. (Shunta Nanbu)