Orix Buffaloes announced that pitcher Hiroya Miyagi (24) underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow at a hospital in the United States. In his seventh professional season, he complained of discomfort in his left elbow during a game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April 9th (Kyocera Dome Osaka) and was forced to leave the game in the middle of the sixth inning. The following day, April 10th, he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow at a hospital in Osaka.

After his departure, he underwent rehabilitation in Maishima, Osaka, while simultaneously undergoing thorough examinations at multiple hospitals. Like Yamashita, who had already undergone surgery in the United States, he hoped to return to competition in about a year, faster than the conventional Tommy John surgery. He determined that having surgery at a hospital in the United States was the best way to ensure an early return. After careful discussions with the team, a specific schedule was decided earlier this month.

In 2021, his second year out of high school, he won 13 games and was named Pacific League Rookie of the Year. He cleared the required innings pitched and double-digit win for three consecutive years until 2023. After Yoshinobu Yamamoto moved to the Dodgers, he supported pitcher staff as the absolute ace. In March of this year, he participated in the WBC for the second consecutive time, following his victory in 2023. After returning to Japan, he was entrusted with the opening pitcher for the third consecutive year.

Along with Yamashita, a return this season is considered unlikely. The long-term absence of both starting pitchers is a major blow for the team aiming for its first championship in three years, but in the game against Softbank Hawks on the 19th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), they showed their resilience by holding onto a one-run lead with a five-pitcher relay. Miyagi's goal is to stand on mound for the first team in the second half of next season and overwhelm hitter. The team's cornerstone believes in a bright future and will continue to work hard on his rehabilitation.