◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Orix Buffaloes (14th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Orix Buffaloes ・Abe made up his mind and took on the challenge boldly. “No matter what, I was determined to come back with a shutout. That was my only thought.”This marked his third promotion to the first team this season. He was immediately entrusted with a tough situation. In the seventh inning, with the lead extended to two runs and the team facing a critical situation with two outs and a bases loaded, he faced off against cleanup hitter McCusker, who had been hitting well.

Last offseason, he lowered his right arm and changed his pitching form to a more sidearm delivery. "That was really the pitch I practiced the most. It was great to be able to throw it there against right-handed power hitters," he said, as he threw a 147 km/h sinker to the inside corner. One pitch resulted in a foul fly. With a fierce expression, he completed the difficult task.

He gave up five runs in the first two games of the season. On May 30th, he was removed from the active roster. He joined Orix Buffaloes from Nippon Life Insurance and, although it was his sixth year, he was 33 years old. Manager Kishida called him in. "At this age, it becomes difficult to keep going. But keep going. Believe in what you're working on and keep doing it." His senior, who also came to professional baseball from the corporate league, shared his own experiences and gave him passionate advice.

Although they missed out on their first three-game winning streak since June 11th, manager Kishida broadened his options for using the pitcher, saying, "He pitched with all his might. I want to create a situation where he can pitch in crucial moments from now on." The veteran remained positive, saying, "My feeling that there's no turning back hasn't changed. It's meaningless unless I keep doing this consistently." He will put his determination into every single pitch and win the challenges that surround him. (Toru Nagata)