On the 27th, Seibu Lions announced that they have signed a development contract with Indian-born pitcher Akshay More (22) as part of their "Saitama Seibu Lions Overseas Strategy." This marks the first time in NPB history that a team has signed a player from India. number will be 146.

The 194cm, 88kg right-handed pitcher throws a fastball that reaches a maximum speed of 150 km/h and commands a variety of breaking ball including fork, sinker, splitter, change-up, and curveball. He was highly evaluated for his potential at a tryout held in June of this year. He has been playing baseball for about six years, and his sincere attitude towards baseball and desire for improvement were judged to give him plenty of room to grow.

Through the team, More commented, "I am truly grateful to The Lions for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I will do my best to contribute to the team's win while learning a lot from my teammates and coaches. I will also continue to work hard every day, never forgetting to be humble, and grow so that I can become a player that the fans can trust. I look forward to the day when I can meet you all."

The "Saitama Seibu Lions Overseas Strategy" is an initiative that has been promoted since November 2013 with the aim of strengthening the team's ability to acquire foreign players and expanding the system for discovering and developing foreign players who are expected to play an active role in NPB in the future, by utilizing the development know-how that the team has cultivated.

▽Team General Manager Koji Hiroike: "He is an athlete who has experience as a runner-up in the Indian national judo tournament, and we are also attracted to his sincere personality. He performed well in 'Baseball United,' the first professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia region, which was held last year, and he showed great potential for the future at the tryout in June of this year, so we have decided to sign him to a development contract. We hope that he will grow significantly with The Lions and become a beacon of hope for people who play baseball in India."