The managers' selections for the "Mynavi All-Star Game 2026" (28th at Tokyo Dome, 29th in Toyama) were announced on the 13th, and Orix Buffaloes pitcher Ren Mukunoki was selected.

For the right-handed pitcher, who joined the team as the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, this is his first time on this dream stage. "I never thought I would be selected, so my first thought was, 'I'm so happy...' It's really encouraging to be evaluated by managers from other teams. I want to take this as a positive and do my best," he said, expressing his joy.

In his fifth professional season, he has appeared in 31 games so far, known as the "eighth-inning man." He has a record of 2 wins and 2 losses, a league-leading 22 hold, 1 save, and ERA of 2.40, putting him on the path to a major breakout season. He also underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2022. "I haven't been able to achieve all the results I wanted to, but...the biggest thing for me so far is that I've been able to play without getting injured," he said, radiating a sense of fulfillment.

When asked which player he would like to face, he nominated Hanshin Tigers 's Nakano, who was three years his senior at Tohoku Fukushi University and a member of the 2023 WBC Japan national team. He envisioned a head-to-head battle, saying, "I want to show him how much I've grown." Also participating was Yakult 's Yamano, who was one year his senior at the same university. He was thrilled about the first time they would be playing together on this dream stage, saying, "I'm really happy, and he was the first one to come out, and even though we're on different teams, I hope we can talk before practice or something."

"It might be difficult to make pitch that makes people think, 'baseball is really amazing,' but... I want to pitch in a way that gets the stadium excited. My fastball is my weapon, so I want to showcase that. I hope I can make pitching fun for hitter in Central League" he said, renewing his resolve.