◆ Sports Hochi Journalist Column "From Ryogoku"

I am the point of contact for the column written by Hokkaido edition's Nippon-Ham Fighters pitcher Nao Miyanishi (40). Our monthly meetings are filled with passionate exchanges. In particular, last December I was able to feel the essence of his 19th year as a professional.

The iron-armed pitcher, who last season became only the fourth player in history to reach 900 appearances, following Hitoshi Iwase, Masaichi Kaneda, and Tetsuya Yoneda, has revamped his off-season training regimen. He has reduced the amount of running he used to focus on and incorporated a full-body workout called HT training, which strengthens flexibility and cardiovascular function. It was a new challenge, but he consulted with Yakult 's Ishikawa, the oldest active player at 46, at an off-season event, and his doubts disappeared. He was encouraged by Ishikawa's words, "As you get older, injuries become more frightening. Quantity is important, but you also need to improve the quality."

During his self-training in January, he made a striking impression by pushing his body to the limit with a grueling hour-long workout after his morning walk. "Rather than doing it while feeling uncertain and wondering if it's okay, it's important to believe in yourself and do it, even if you make mistakes. When you believe in yourself and see it through, the next answer will become clear." It felt like a life lesson. "I think it's the same in any field. First, you have to believe in yourself and do it. What you rely on to believe is different for each person, but for me, the words of experienced seniors turned into conviction," he said with a determined look in his eyes.

This season, he has made nine appearances in the minor leagues with ERA of 1.00, showing he is in good form to return to the major leagues. "Being able to baseball for a long time is not something to be taken for granted. It is a sign of respect for baseball to push yourself to the point where you can no longer even hold a ball." I want to responsibly convey the words of this ever-evolving 40-year-old. (Nippon-Ham correspondent: Haruki Kawakami)

◆Haruki Kawakami: Joined the company in 2021. After working in layout, he has been in his current position since 2025.