I have decided to bring my active career to a close this season. Thank you for these 19 years.

Lotte's Yuki Karakawa held a retirement press conference at Zozo Marine Stadium on the 8th.

Since August, Karakawa has been working on specific challenges for his promotion to the first team, such as changing his curveball from the 120 km/h range to the 110 km/h range, re-introducing the splitter based on advice from coach Kodai Matsunaga, and throwing cutters to the inside corner against both left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters.

In an interview on August 30, regarding the reason for throwing curves in the 110 km/h range, he explained, "My perception of the curve has changed compared to before. Previously, since there was an extra inning of a reliever, I tried to make something happen with the curve or wanted to get a swing and a miss with it. However, with the addition of the slider, the role of the curve has changed. Since I am using it as a pitch to change pace and to get a count, I feel like it doesn't need to be fast now." Regarding the re-introduction of the splitter, he said, "I want to show the batters that I have this kind of pitch. It's a pitch I originally threw, and I've started throwing it a bit after being told to by Matsunaga-san."

Regarding his signature cutter, he stated, 'I think it's actually difficult for any batter to hit a ball that comes precisely to the inside, so I feel the ratio has increased because I know I can be a closer if I throw it there,' making it hard to believe he would announce his retirement from active play just five days later.

On September 4th, he announced his retirement from professional play, stating: 'I have decided to bring the curtain down on my 19-year career at the end of this season. Over the past few years, I have struggled to contribute to the team as much as I would have liked. I entered this season with a sense of resolve, and after facing myself and my situation, I have come to this decision.'

At the retirement press conference held on the 8th, he explained, 'Since I spent most of this year pitching on the farm team, I found many areas where I still had room for improvement, and there were parts where my technique specifically couldn't keep up. While I have a sense of what kind of performance on the farm team is necessary to pitch for the first team, I wasn't able to achieve those results. I think that gradually led to my decision to retire.'

He decided to retire despite having expanded his range of pitches since the beginning of August, but one wonders if he had a strong desire to continue evolving his skills as a professional baseball player until the very end.

Yes. I felt that as long as I was doing it, I wanted to hone my skills and level up—to keep going until the very end. I think I was able to keep struggling and trying different things through trial and error until the very last moment.

◆ fastball and cutter

Since the second half of 2018, his pitch has centered around the cutter, and the reason he threw so many cutters was that he could get batters out as a closer.

Regarding the reason he stopped throwing his fastball, he stated in an interview on April 21, 2019, that it was 'because it wasn't very effective,' and also mentioned, 'It's not that I've made a firm decision (to focus on throwing cutters).'

In 2019 and 2020, it resulted in a pitch style centered on the cutter, but during the 2020 Ishigakijima spring camp, he was throwing many fastball pitches in the bullpen.

In an interview on February 7, 2020, when asked if he still aspires to throw the hopping fastball he displayed in videos from his rookie days, he revealed, 'Yes, I want to eliminate the difference between the initial and final velocity, and I am conscious of how I use my body and my mental image to achieve that.' He then added with a smile, 'In terms of quality, I was throwing a good fastball in my first year.'

In '22, the percentage of fastballs increased, and in an interview on September 3, 2022, he said, 'I don't have much confidence, but since I sometimes pair up with Matsukawa, the new catcher who joined this year, it feels like he is the one selecting and having me throw them. I always want to throw a good fastball, so it's just a continuation of that.'

Karakawa had expressed his feelings for his fastball, just as he did for his cutter. For several years after turning pro, he threw a mesmerizing fastball that looked like it was pulling a thread. One wonders if he has any thoughts of finishing his final appearance with a fastball.

That's not true. Since I've been helped so much by the cutter, I've grown quite attached to it, yes.

The retirement ceremony will be held during the game against the Softbank Hawks on October 3rd. For his final performance, he intends to throw the cutter, his signature pitch that he has refined over the years. I hope The Marines fans will witness his brave figure one last time.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita