Nippon-Ham 's Kotaro Kiyomiya seems down.

Last season, he played in 138 games, recording 143 hit second in the league), and established himself as a regular player with a batting average of .272, 12 Home Run runs, and 65 RBI. This season, he was appointed as the players' association chairman and started the season hit in 9 consecutive games. During that time, he had a batting average of .333, Home Run, and 8 RBI, getting off to a great start.

At the end of April, he had a batting average of .279, 5 Home Run RBI, and 19 RBIs, a promising start to the season that could put him in contention for batting titles. However, his hitting gradually slowed down in May. He had three hit, including Home Run, against Orix Buffaloes on May 2nd, and hit hits against Orix Buffaloes on May 8th, but hit five consecutive games from the game against Seibu Lions on May 15th to the game against Softbank Hawks on May 22nd. He had two hit against Hanshin Tigers on May 28th and against The Giants on May 30th, but went hitless the following day. His monthly batting average for May was .174, with Home Run and 8 RBI.

For the team to improve, Kiyomiya's performance is absolutely essential. Now that June has begun, he needs to make a strong impression with his bat.