Orix Buffaloes Ryo Ota 's has continued to hit well into August, maintaining a high batting average. Although he has been sidelined twice due to injuries during this period, he says the secret to his success is actually those injuries. infielder

"Well, maybe it's actually a good thing that I'm in pain in various places. A blessing in disguise? Definitely." Ota laughed without a care in the world.

Ota is from Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture. He joined Orix Buffaloes in 2018 as the first overall pick in the draft after graduating from Tenri High School (Nara). His strengths are his powerful hitting ability, including the ability to hit the ball hard to the opposite field, and his clutch hitting ability, but he has been plagued by Hit by Pitch, and only became a regular player in his sixth year, 2024. This season, he missed the first half of the season due to being hit by a ball that hit himself, and was forced to be removed from the roster after Hit by Pitch in the right calf.

In the second half of the season, he injured his left wrist while defense in the game against Rakuten Eagles on August 3rd (Tokyo Dome) and missed two games. In the game Rakuten Eagles on the 11th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), he was Hit by Pitch by a 151km fastball from pitcher Daichi Shibata near his left shoulder blade, but he returned to the field after missing only one game. Although there was no bone damage, the pain did not disappear immediately. Nevertheless, his quick return was due to his sense of responsibility as the team's cleanup hitter. With a series of must-win games in their quest to advance to the Climax Series, all he could think about was boosting the team's morale.

Since injuring his left wrist on the 3rd, he has recorded hit in eight consecutive games up to the 16th (12 At Bat 30 hit, a batting average of .400), and in the four games after Hit by Pitch, he has fulfilled the heavy responsibility of being the cleanup hitter with 7 hits At Bat 17 hit, 3 RBI, and a batting average of .412. Ota said of his batting condition, "I'm in good condition. I have a high probability of hitting the pitch I'm looking for on the first pitch," and he attributes his good form to the positive effects of his injury.

"I'm covered in tape now. I can't put much power into my swing, so I've been thinking about how to hit with as little force as possible, and that's helped me stop putting in unnecessary force. Even in practice, I'm not trying to hit the ball far, but rather to hit good quality shots," he reveals. He's skillfully managing the pain from his injury and opening up new horizons with his "relaxed" batting style.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano