◆ Pacific League Lotte 5-3 Seibu Lions (April 4th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte Naoya Masuda pitcher (36) pitched in the ninth inning of the game against Seibu Lions (ZOZO) on the 4th, leading 5-3 by two runs. He recorded two saves this season and reached 250 career saves with 1 inning hit no runs. He became the fifth player in professional baseball history to achieve this feat, earning a spot in the Meikyukai (Famous Baseball Association). After the game, he held a press conference inside ZOZO. The main Q&A sessions were as follows.

-How do you feel right now?

"I feel relieved, after all."

—What about the pressure?

"Before the game, Manager Saburo told me, 'We're going for it today,' so that was the most nerve-wracking part. I really thought that if I failed here, I would cause trouble for the team again, so I threw with the determination to succeed no matter what. My family was cheering me on, and the fans were also cheering me on with great enthusiasm. It's a personal record, so I couldn't cause trouble for the team. Since they were giving me the opportunity, I absolutely had to closer, and I threw with the intention of not getting in the way so that the team could achieve it as quickly as possible."

—Achieved at home.

"The cheers were incredible. Those cheers really boosted my morale. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the fans. My family has always been there to support me. There are times when I make mistakes, but it's my family who always watches over me warmly. I'm so grateful to them."

—My teammates were happy too.

"There were so many players who were genuinely happy for me, even though it was someone else's achievement. The support staff were the same, and I'm truly grateful to them."

—Which match left the biggest impression on you?

"Well, I do think of a lot of matches where I failed, but today's scene is definitely one that I'll never forget."

—What are your goals for the future?

"My main goal is to keep pitching energetically, regardless of age, so that I don't lose to the younger players."

—What do you value most as a closer?

"No matter which team you look at, no matter which closer you look at, they all have amazing pitches. There are so many truly great pitcher, and I'm not particularly tall, my fastball isn't particularly fast, and I don't have any good breaking ball. That's why I think about a lot of things and try to anticipate what will happen. Rather than thinking in a positive direction, I go up to mound with a negative mindset, so I think the result is that I've repeatedly thought about what I would do in this situation."

—Have you felt more at ease now that you've reached 250 saves?

"I feel relieved, or rather, surprisingly, nothing has changed. I have more practice tomorrow, so I think I'm more focused right now on the fact that I have to keep working hard so that I can continue pitching."

—What was it like when manager Saburo told you about the possibility of you pitching before the game?

"At first, I was happy to be given such an opportunity at home. Up until now, many of my milestone records have been achieved on the road. I was happy, but at the same time, I couldn't afford to fail. If I failed, I would cause trouble for the team, and I felt like I couldn't get in the way, so I tried my best closer it together. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became."