Lotte announced on the 4th that pitcher Yuki Karakawa (37) will retire from active duty at the end of this season. A retirement ceremony is scheduled to be held during the game against the Softbank Hawks (ZOZO) on October 3rd.

Karakawa, who appeared in the 2006 and 2007 Senbatsu tournaments with Narita High School, drew attention as one of the 'Big 3' in the 2007 high school draft, alongside his contemporaries Sho Nakata of Osaka Toin and Yoshinori Sato of Sendai Ikuei. Karakawa joined Lotte, Nakata joined Nippon-Ham, and Sato joined Yakult as first-round picks in the high school draft. Sato retired in 2024, Nakata in 2025, and now Karakawa has finally made the decision to retire at the end of this season.

Yuki Karakawa: Born July 5, 1989, in Narita City, Chiba. 37 years old. At Narita High School, he appeared in the Spring Koshien in 2006 and 2007. He joined Lotte as a first-round pick in the 2007 high school draft. He served as a member of the starting rotation, contributing with 12 wins in 2011. His career totals over 350 games are 82 wins, 78 losses, 64 holds, and a 3.71 ERA. This season, he has 0 wins and 1 loss in 1 game with a 7.20 ERA. 181 cm, 90 kg. Right-handed pitcher and batter. His estimated salary for this season is 44 million yen.