Lotte's Kyota Fujiwara has been showing his "summer man" tendencies, recording multiple hit in three consecutive games since the game Seibu Lions on the 4th.

In the game against Nippon-Ham on August 2nd, he was closer hitless in 4 At Bat hit against Kohei Arihara 's fastball, cutter, and change-up, but he said, "I think I was able to hit well." In the game Seibu Lions on the 4th, in his first at-bat in the first inning with the score 0-2, he hit a 149 km/h cutter thrown by Kaima Taira on the first strike to right field. In his second at-bat in the second inning with two outs and runners on second and third, he hit a game-tying two-run RBI single off the second pitch, change-up thrown by Taira on the first strike, saying, "I'm glad I was able to bring runner home in the opportunity I created."

He got two hit off Taira, who throws the same kind of moving ball as Arihara, and said, "I just did the same routine as always and got back to normal," showing that he had made solid adjustments.

In the next Seibu Lions game on the 5th, in his second at-bat with two outs and no runner in the third inning with a 0-0 scoreline, starter Sou Sato swung struck out before a 144 km/h fastball thrown from two balls and two strike. However, in his third at-bat with one runner out and no pitches in the fifth inning with a 3-0 lead, Sato threw a high in-court fastball on the first pitch second baseman over hit to right field.

"I was aiming for struck out after fastball in my previous at-bat, but my body balance was off. I got jammed in my next at-bat, but I think I made a good swing," he said, showing that he had managed to hit back the pitch that had gotten him out in his previous at-bat, despite striking struck out on a fastball in his last at-bat.

In the 7th inning with one out and no runner on base, Fujiwara came up to bat for the third time and hit hit straight fastball thrown by Sato with two strike for an infield single to short stop, achieving his second consecutive game with multiple hit.

Watching Fujiwara this season, it seems he's been learning from his mistakes in previous games and at-bats, and making solid adjustments. Perhaps his ability to make adjustments has improved.

"This year has been consistently good, and even when things are bad, they haven't lasted long, so I think that's a really good thing."

◆What are the results of focusing on physical training?

In preparation for the new season, he said that his self-training was "mostly focused on physical training, with an 8:2 ratio of physical to body conditioning." But has that paid off this summer?

"My body is in good balance, so I want to focus on refreshing myself through training and treatment."

Furthermore, while his OPS was set at .750, it's currently at .791, his best number since turning pro. Fujiwara himself is not satisfied, saying, "There are still games to play, and I think this is a good result, but I want to continue to work hard with a desire to improve."

◆ Becoming the face of the "2000s generation"

Speaking of Fujiwara, he stated his determination for this year's spring training camp, saying, "This year, we're really aiming to double our numbers. I want to be able to lead the 2000 generation. I'm motivated, so I want to do my best." I wanted to confirm again whether this "2000 generation" meant leading the team, or whether he wanted to be a leader among his peers in all 12 teams.

"There are 12 teams. There are many good players, so I want to do my best not to lose," he said confidently.

To become the face of his generation, he needs to win titles. "I think it's all about titles, so I want to work hard to reach the next level (as a player)," he said, indicating his intention to win individual titles and raise his status as a player.

Among the "2000 generation," Kaito Kozono (Hiroshima) won the batting hitter and highest on-base percentage last season, Shohei Togo (The Giants) strike out in 2022 and 2024, Shinya Matsuyama (Chunichi) won the best reliever title in 2024 and the most saves title in 2025, Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers) was selected for the Japanese national team in the WBC held in March, and Chusei Mannami (Nippon-Ham) has been named All-Star MVP twice.

This summer, I'm going to hit like crazy, win the hitter title, and become the face of the "2000 generation," the face of the team, and a representative player of professional baseball.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita