◆ Pacific League vs. Softbank Hawks (20th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte Marines outfielder Katsuya Kakunaka (39) announced on the 20th that he will retire from professional baseball at the end of this season. On that day, he participated in practice at ZOZO Marine Stadium in preparation for the game against Softbank Hawks. After going through a menu of drills including batting practice and base running practice, he spoke to reporters and confirmed his decision to retire.

When asked when he started thinking about his future, he explained, "I kind of felt like it might be my last season from the very beginning." He said that the final decision came after his "embarrassing struck out" in the game Orix Buffaloes Stadium).

Kakunaka, who entered the game as a substitute, swung and missed struck out at a high inside pitch from Orix Buffaloes Iriyama during his second at-bat in the ninth inning with two outs and a runner on third.Reflecting on that at-bat, the veteran—now in his 20th professional season—said, “I thought to myself, ‘Back in the day, I could have pulled that last pitch like a bullet line drive and hit a foul ball toward first base.’ But since I couldn’t even make contact, I figured it was hopeless.” He plans to continue playing until the end of the season.

He is from Ishikawa Prefecture. After playing for Nihon Koku Ni (now Nihon Koku Ishikawa) and Kochi in the Shikoku League, he joined the Chiba Lotte Marines in the 7th round of the 2006 university/corporate league draft. In 2012, he became the first hitter from an independent league to win the batting title with a batting average of .312. In the offseason of 2016, he renewed his contract for 141 million yen, the first time a player from an independent league had reached that milestone, making history in the process.

In his 20th season, he was registered as an active player for the first time on the 3rd, and recorded his first hit with an infield hit to shortstop in the game against Softbank Hawks on the 4th (Mizuho PayPay Dome). In the game Nippon-Ham on the 7th (ZOZO Marine Stadium), he played the full game as the "number 3 hitter and designated hitter," but went hit in 4 At Bat.

As of the end of the 19th, his season totals are 1 hit 11 At Bat-bats over 8 games, for a batting average of .091. His career NPB totals are 1,345 hit, 70 Home Run, 564 RBI, and a batting average of .280 over 1,512 games.

◆Katsuya Kakunaka: Born May 25, 1987, in Ishikawa Prefecture. Age 39. After playing for Nihon Koku Ni (now Nihon Koku Ishikawa) and Kochi in the Shikoku League, he joined the Chiba Lotte Marines in the 7th round of the 2006 university/corporate league draft. hitter won Pacific League batting title in 2012 and 2016, and the most hit title in 2016. 180 cm, 85 kg. Right-handed pitcher, left-handed batter. Estimated annual salary this season: 60 million yen.