On the 20th, the Katsuya Kakunaka will retire from professional outfielder at the end of this season.

Kakunaka commented through the team, "I will be retiring at the end of this season. I was genuinely happy and grateful to hear the fans cheering me on. The season is still ongoing, so I would like to ask the fans to continue supporting me, and I myself will do my best to produce results for the rest of the season."

Kakunaka joined the Chiba Lotte Marines in the 7th round of the 2006 college/corporate league draft. He secured a regular position in 2012 and won the hitter title that same year. In 2013, he was selected for the Japanese national team for the World Baseball Classic (WBC). In 2016, hitter won his second batting title and the most hit title, and has been a key player for The Marines offense for many years. In the game against Softbank Hawks Hawks on the 20th, he started as the 8th DH, hit 0-At Bat-4 with struck out. So far this season, he has played in 9 games with a batting average of .067.