Lotte announced on the 4th that pitcher Yuki Karakawa will retire from active duty at the end of this season. Additionally, a retirement ceremony is scheduled to be held during the game against the Softbank Hawks on October 3rd (Zozo Marine Stadium, 6:00 PM start). Details regarding the retirement ceremony will be announced once they are finalized.

Since the second half of 2018 when Karakawa converted to a reliever, his pitch style has centered on the cutter, and this summer in the farm league, he refined his cutter to the inside corner against both left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters. Furthermore, following advice from coach Kodai Matsunaga, he re-introduced the splitter and had returned his curveball from the 120 km/h range to the 110 km/h range just before announcing his retirement.

▼ Yuki Karakawa

I have decided to bring the curtain down on my 19-year active career at the end of this season. In recent years, while I was unable to contribute to the team as much as I wanted, I entered this season with determination and reached this decision after facing myself. In the harsh world of professional baseball, I feel there were more times when things did not go well. Even so, being able to play for 19 years while being supported and cheered on by so many people is a great asset of mine. In particular, I received courage from the fans many times. I still clearly remember the loud cheers and the heart-trembling emotion I felt during my first appearance on the mound at Marine Stadium in my rookie year. While I feel lonely that I will no longer be able to experience those cheers on the mound, I want to turn the support I have received into strength and walk my future life in my own way. I feel truly happy to have been able to play for the Chiba Lotte Marines for 19 years. To everyone who has supported me until now, thank you very much.