"I don't think many people know me, but I was honestly happy that such a great batter mentioned my name," pitcher Kaito Iriyama, who has appeared in more than 30 games as reliever for Orix Buffaloes this season, his cheeks flushed.

He first learned from friends that his name was being introduced in an unexpected place online on July 21 this year. Lotte's Katsuya Kakunaka, who announced his retirement at the end of this season, cited his retirement as the reason for his retirement being the match against Iriyama in Game Orix Buffaloes on July 11 (Zozo Marine Stadium). He struck out two as a substitute, but the second struck out came in the ninth with two outs and a runner on third, count 2-2, swinging a high fastball to the inside corner of Iriyama.

Kakunaka is from Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture. He joined the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2006 as the 7th pick in the university/corporate league draft after attending Nihon Koku Ni High School and Shikoku Island League Kochi. In 2012, he won the batting title with a .312 average, becoming the first hitter from an independent league to win the title. In 2016, he also won the most hit title and his second batting hitter. Iriyama, on the other hand, is from Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture. He joined Orix Buffaloes in 2022 as the 3rd pick in the developmental draft after attending Hidaka High School Nakatsu Branch (Wakayama) and Tohoku Fukushi University. Armed with fastball in the low 150 km/h range and a sharp-dropping fork, he was used as closer from his first year and was registered as a regular player in July of last year.

With Kakunaka's retirement, Iriyama's name has also come into the spotlight, and the two share some similarities. The 39-year-old legend with 20 years in the pros and the 26-year-old reliever in his fourth year are both players who did not follow an elite path to becoming pros. Kakunaka said, "If there hadn't been independent leagues, I would have quit baseball in high school," and Iriyama only pitched in one regular season game during his university days, in the fall of his freshman year. Even after turning pro as a developmental player, he seriously considered leaving the team in his second year. Kakunaka, who reached the pinnacle of hitter through extraordinary effort, realizing the limits of Iriyama's youthful energy and momentum, who climbed his way up from developmental to the main roster, will serve as a guidepost for young people aiming to become pros and carry the torch for the next generation.

Iriyama made his 35th appearance of the season on August 14 against Nippon-Ham (Kyocera Dome). He came in as a reliever in the 7th inning with two outs and runners on first and second base, getting Tatsuki Mizuno to fly out to center field in 4 pitches and Ryota Isobata to fly out to left field in 1 pitch, ending the jam. In the end, the game was closed out in the 8th inning by the third pitcher, Yamazaki Soichiro, and in the 9th inning, a two-run homer by Yuma Mune, his second in as many at-bats, secured win Iriyama.

His goal for this season before the season started was "40 appearances," but after the game he revised it upwards to "50 appearances." He says that his improvement from last year is that "I can now throw with a quick motion and I can pitch with more composure." He also proudly states, "There are more situations where I can think about catcher 's intentions from the signs and stance and throw the ball there."

Manager Mamoru Kishida, who also coached him as the second-team pitcher coach, commented on his progress, saying, "When he first joined, he had pitcher but wasn't very confident in his control. Now, however, he can consistently throw straight pitches and handle breaking ball well. I think his biggest source of confidence is being able to closer batters effectively."

"I haven't quite mastered my own pitches yet, so I want to step onto mound with the mindset that I can pitch in a way that will help me grow without fear," Iriyama said. He vows to make great strides so as not to disgrace the legend who mentioned him by name.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano