Orix Buffaloes player Ryoma Nishikawa is stepping up to the plate aiming for extra-base hits. This is a challenge he has taken on for his own potential from next season onwards, while also aiming to increase the scoring power of the team as they continue to play must-win games to advance to the Climax Series (CS).

“(The title for most hits?) I’m not interested. If it’s just about making contact, I think it’s better to be struck out and come back for now.” After a game in late August, Nishikawa shared his thoughts on his new batting approach.

Nishikawa, who is known for hitting even one-bounce balls into the fair field for hits, changed his batting style starting from the second half of the season. While there have been more instances of him swinging so hard that he loses his balance and falls on his backside, he has also been increasing his Home Run production. After hitting his 4th solo Home Run in the game against Nippon-Ham on July 2nd (at ES CON FIELD), he hit seven Home Runs in the two-month period through August, including home runs in two consecutive games. By hitting his 10th two-run Home Run in the game against the Softbank Hawks on August 23rd (at Mizuho PayPay), he reached double-digit Home Runs for the first time since hitting 16 in 2019 during his time with Hiroshima.

Although he is a "hit-making machine" who uses outstanding bat control to produce hits from any posture, for Nishikawa—who has at times batted third or fourth in a lineup missing key mainstays like Tomoya Mori and Yuma Tongu due to injury—there is a strong desire to contribute to the team by increasing scoring power through extra-base hits. "Somehow, the chipping away strategy has become uninteresting. I want to see how much I can do. I’m playing while thinking about next year and beyond." Amidst his joking words, he also reveals a desire to break the status quo and see how far his batting will "evolve" by aiming for extra-base hits.

While must-win games continue in the pursuit of a Climax Series berth, he is also competing for the most hits title. As of August 31, he trails the leader, Nippon-Ham's Reyes (137 hits), by one hit. While changing his batting style in such a situation might seem like a negative, he has no hesitation, saying, 'Even if my batting form collapses, I think that's fine. Right now, I'm okay with it breaking down completely once.'

In the Softbank Hawks games on August 29 and 30 (at Kyocera Dome), he batted lead-off for the first time in about two months. "I think being put in the lead-off spot means something like that, but there's no point in worrying about the title race. If there were about 10 games left and I was one behind, I'd be conscious of it, but there's still a long way to go." The challenge continues for the slugger, the only player on the team who continues to appear in every game.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano