On August 4th, the day Lotte's Naoya Masuda achieved his 250th career save, Lotte's Aito, though not having delivered a win-winning hit or making any flashy plays, undoubtedly made a significant contribution to win.

On the same day, Seibu Lions made starting line-up start since the game against Orix Buffaloes on July 26th, playing as the number 8 batter and center fielder fielder in the game against Seibu. In the second inning, trailing by two runs, Seibu Lions 's leadoff Kyuto Ueda, drew Walk Kaima Taira 's starting hit, Ryusei Ogawa followed with a bunt single, putting runners on first and second with no outs. This brought Aito up to bat.

"Ultimately, we scored 5 runs yesterday (August 4th), but pitcher was Taira, who isn't the type of pitcher who can create many scoring opportunities. He's one of the best pitcher in all 12 teams, so I thought there wouldn't be many chances for us to create opportunities. In the first inning, we had a chance but couldn't score. I had the feeling that creating a scoring opportunity with Taira was probably our last chance, so I was determined to do whatever it took to score."

Aito explained, "The sign wasn't for a bunt, so I thought about what I could do at that moment, and I felt that a ground ball to advance the runners was the right thing to do, or rather, the best thing to do. Rather than getting a hit, I wanted to get on base and pass the baton to the next batter. With one out and runners on second and third, Yamazaki was batting ninth, and if we could get on base, Kyohei Fujiwara and Shigeo Nishikawa would be there, so I thought it would be better to get on base to them against Taira, and that's the choice I made." On the sixth pitch, a fastball thrown by Taira with a 3-ball, 2-strike, he hit a ground ball to second second baseman between first and second base, advancing the runner on first, Ogawa, and the runner second, Ueda.

Aito had been working hard to improve his power hitting, so it's only natural that he would have wanted to get results in this at-bat with a chance to score, especially since it was his first starting line-up in a while. Nevertheless, he chose a method that would lead to the team scoring.

"I've always said that it's not just about hitting or home run, so it's not just about hitting. You have to hit as a team, bunt and run the run, stolen base have to do it, and you have to defend the defense properly. That's what I think is baseball. It's not a pitcher where you can fight and win on your own. That's because young players are out there. In terms of my Lotte career, I'm the shortest, but I've been playing in the pro baseball longer than I did, so I managed the team with a relaxed pace."

The following Tsuyoshi Yamasaki was knocked out by a swinging struck out, but leadoff hitter Kyota Fujiwara hit a precise RBI single to right field, and Aito's advance single led to a run.

In the third inning, with two outs and no runner on base, in his second at-bat, Taira threw a sweeper on the first strike, which dropped just in front of center fielder for a hit. Then, while Yamazaki was at bat, he took advantage of Taira's carelessness and stolen base second base.

"In base running, if you can get one base ahead, it can make it easier for the batter to get up to the plate. This isn't just about going from first to second base, but also from second to third base, or from third to home plate. base running is about always looking for an opening in the opponent's defense. I think that worked well yesterday (August 4th)."

In defense, in the 8th inning with no outs and a runner on first base, with the score 5-3, he made a great play, stretching his left arm as far as it would go catch a ball hit to left-center field An-Ko Lin Anka right at wall.

"We managed to score five runs when Taira was at bat. It was a game we absolutely had to win, and with the leadoff batter on base and no outs and a runner on first, I knew I had to catch it no matter what. With no outs and runners on second and third, the chances of scoring two runs increase. I was really focused on that, and I believe that batting is batting, base running is base running, defense is defense, so at that moment I was on defense and I was thinking about defense, which allowed me to take a quick first step. I think that's why I was able to catch it in such a good way."

outfield defense is excellent, and he's also good at base base running, aiming one step ahead, and executing sacrifice bunts, making him an indispensable piece of the team. He went hit in the game Seibu Lions on the 5th, but he had two hit in the game on the 4th, showing that his batting contributions are increasing. The more games he plays, the better he seems to be.

"I'm good at playing in the summer, so I want to continue doing what I need to do while taking good care of my physical condition." This summer, he will remain focused on himself and constantly think about how he can contribute to the team.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita