Orix Buffaloes pitcher Daiki Tajima is finding a way forward by "returning to his roots" and seeking guidance from his father, who was the one who inspired him to start baseball again after 12 years since graduating from high school.

"I've changed, haven't I? Or have I not, looking at what I've been doing lately? I'm less hesitant now." Tajima, who earned his second win of the season in the interleague game against Chunichi (Kyocera Dome) on May 30th, spoke with a look of increased confidence.

Tajima is from Tochigi Prefecture. He joined Orix Buffaloes in 2017 as the first overall pick in the draft after playing for Sano Nichidai High School and JR East. He is a left-handed pitcher who mixes a variety of breaking ball with his fastball, including a cutter, two seam fastball, slider, fork, change-up. He made the starting rotation in his first year and contributed to the team's three consecutive league championships from 2021 and their Japan Series championship in 2022.

He is dedicated to his craft. He throws from a set position or windup depending on the game, and even switches to the set position when there are no runner on base, demonstrating an unconventional pitching style. At its core is the free-thinking belief that "the best pitching style is what suits me right now," and it even seems as though he enjoys the process of trial and error in search of the optimal solution.

Last year, she participated in a training camp hosted by Toshiharu Konoike, an athlete consultant who works with professional baseball, softball, and golf players. She also worked on a bold form overhaul, starting with her arms. This year, she began receiving guidance from her father midway through the season.

"Until last year, I tried all sorts of things, and this didn't work, that didn't work. I'm now incorporating Mr. Kono's teachings while also having my father watch pitch form." He practices with his father, who lives in the Kanto region, using his cell phone to show him videos, and says it's "five times a week, except before and on his days off." After games, he does shadow pitching for an hour to an hour and a half in the living room at home.

It had been 12 years since he last practiced with his father, since high school. He said he had quit once because his father's coaching was too strict, but he resumed practicing after his eldest daughter was born in May of last year. "When you see your own child every day, you start to understand a lot of things. Like, if they make this face they're sleepy, or if they cry like this they're hungry. From things like that, I realized that it's best to ask the parents about their children," he explains. "It was my father who taught me how to pitch now. It was my father who made me a professional (baseball player)," says Tajima, so it was natural for him to seek advice from the father who taught him baseball from scratch in order to get out of the "maze."

He also felt a sense of crisis. "As a professional, if I don't contribute to Orix Buffaloes 's win, I'll be sent down to the minor leagues and eventually cut from the team." In his ninth season this year, he started the third game of the season but was pulled after one inning, having thrown 19 pitches, given up 3 hit and 2 earned runs. After adjusting in the minor leagues, he was promoted back on April 21, but struggled in the following two games, giving up a total of 7 runs, and was demoted again. This situation was the background to his decision to seek guidance from his father.

"I realized it. He really is my father. I had this feeling that if I missed this opportunity, it would be the end, my professional baseball career would be over." Even so, he didn't make any formal request to his father. All he told him was, "I still don't know pitch form, so could you take a look?" The two of them had worked together to solidify his form up until he played in Koshien, so no further words were necessary. "My father only played baseball until high school. He was fielder, and I don't think he even made it onto the bench." Nevertheless, his belief that his father was the one who created the "masterpiece" that is Tajima, who is now a successful professional, and who knows everything about him, remained unshaken.

"I've been doing shadow boxing all this time. Right now, it's shadow boxing focusing only on lower body movements. I don't know how many years it will take, because it's not my plan. It's my father's plan. I'm working on the absolute basics." During contract negotiations last offseason, he conveyed to the team his desire to play in the major leagues in the future. The father-son training has begun again. It will surely open up limitless possibilities for Tajima.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano