Lotte's Toshiya Sato is a key player, exuding an indispensable presence for the team.

On June 30 against the Rakuten Eagles, Sato started as the No. 4 batter (catcher) starting line-up. In his second at-bat in the fourth inning with the score 0–0 and no outs bases loaded,“ bases loaded, so I was just trying to hit the pitches I should be swinging at. I’m glad I was able to react quickly when the ball came up,” he said. Kosei Shoji From a 3-ball, 2-strike count, he swung at the sixth pitch—slider—and sent it soaring into the right-field stands for his ninth home run of the season grand slam.

On the defensive side, he led the team to win with excellent leadership, keeping the three starting pitcher—Jackson, Shuta Takano, and Rikuto Yokoyama—to just two runs over nine innings.

◆A hit that helps catcher Toshiya Sato

As he played as the cleanup hitter that day, Sato is expected to excel not only defense but also with his bat.

This season, he has been "supporting" catcher and Toshiya Sato with his own bat. In the game Nippon-Ham on May 14, he took the lead with a timely hit by Misho Nishikawa in the first inning and wanted to quickly attack the starter and Haruki Hosono starters, saying, "I was able to swing well. It was good that I was able to respond well to breaking ball. I think it was a pivotal at-bat where I did what I had to do today," and then on May 15, in the second inning of the 0-0 game against Orix Buffaloes, third base runner scored during a grounder by Polanco's infield, and with two outs and a runner on third, he said, "I was raising the zone, so I was able to react well and hit it," and hit Takashima's first pitch curveball for the sixth two-run homer.

On May 27 against Hiroshima, in the 7th inning with the score tied 1-3, a 2-run single on Misho Nishikawa and a mistake by the opponent's defense allowed the team to take the lead. With two outs and a runner on third, he said, "I got a run and took the lead, so I felt a bit more at ease, and it really connected and I was really excited. I was able to get the ball floating," said Atsushi Endo, hitting a timely hit that deflected the change-up on the seventh pitch from 3-ball, 2-strike center fielder forward. Furthermore, in the game Chunichi on June 9, in his third at-bat with one out and runners on first and third in the sixth inning with a 2-1 tie, he sacrifice fly the slider of the first pitch Marler threw to center fielder, often creating moments where he wanted "an extra run here" or "one more run here."

Sato said, "When there are chances like that, with runners on first and third or third base, as I am catcher myself, I am always conscious of the need to score a run, and I try to score a run with sacrifice fly. It's always a scoring game, so I try to do at least that much."

He explained that scoring runs through hits or sacrifice fly flies in situations where additional runs are needed during the game only has a positive impact on defense, saying, "There's a difference in how I feel between being one run behind and being two runs behind. Conversely, if there are no runner on base, a solo home run would still give us the lead. But if it's a one-run difference or a tie, then even that isn't acceptable, so I think there's a difference in that respect." His hitting helps catcher Toshiya Sato.

◆ Awareness of being a key player

Watching The Marines this season, while there are Rikuto Yokoyama leading the team, such as team captain Soto and player representative Yokoyama Rikuto, it seems that the team's wins and losses are directly linked to Sato's performance in offense and defense. Last season, when Sato was sidelined for long periods, the team finished in last place, but in 2023 and 2024, when Sato was the main catcher, they managed to finish in the top three.

Sato said, "That's something I've been thinking about since before the season started. I believe that if I don't perform well, this team will fall apart, so I want to be the central figure and lead the team," showing his awareness of his role as a key player.

Looking back, even at the spring training camp in Miyakonojo, he showed a strong determination to fight, saying, "This is a season where I feel I have to do my best if we want to win the championship, so it won't do if I stumble. Of course, that includes the whole team, but I have the awareness and responsibility that I have to be strong. I want to make this a season like that."

"I hope we can keep things to a minimum runs so we can pick up wins." Whenever Sato is hitting and playing defense, the team is winning. Although they’re still trailing the league leader, the gap has narrowed to 6.5 games for the first time since June 5. In July, Sato will continue to shine on both offense and defense, leading the team win as a key player.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita