I don't think I'm doing that well myself, but within that, there was a Walk and one hit. I think everyone has times like that, so I believe getting a hit in those moments becomes important.

Lotte's Misho Nishikawa analyzes his current batting in this way. As Nishikawa says, even while not in top form, he has managed to record hit and Walk, marking a .289 batting average (6th in the league) and a .352 on-base percentage (8th in the league).

As indicated by his .301 batting average (74-for-246) from the third plate appearance onwards, he often makes solid adjustments to record a hit even if he fails in his first two at-bats. Recently, in the game against the Softbank Hawks on the 11th, he was hitless in his first two plate appearances but achieved a multi-hit game by recording an infield hit to short stop in his third plate appearance and a hit to center fielder in his fourth. Similarly, in the game against the Rakuten Eagles on the 8th, he was shut down by the closer in his first two plate appearances but reached base via a Hit by Pitch in his third and hit a single to left field in his fourth.

Reflecting on his batting in the game against the Rakuten Eagles on the 8th, Nishikawa said, 'I think getting that one hit was huge. Although my previous two at-bats, the second and third, resulted in a Hit by Pitch, I think I was able to make adjustments and switch my mindset for the fourth at-bat, just as I had imagined.'

He drew 36 Walk, significantly exceeding last season's 16. Although he had zero Walk in September, he drew seven Walk in August. 'I wanted to draw two Walk per series, so I've been working on it as a lifelong theme. I believe that being able to draw Walk will also lead to an increase in batting average. I want to raise my on-base percentage even more. It's something I'm constantly thinking about,' he said.

He has also adjusted to inside pitches, which he struggled with last season, hitting .375 (18-for-48) on them this year. 'There's no point in having last year's experience if I don't apply it this year. While I'm getting hits, I feel it's a lack of my own ability that I haven't been able to turn them into extra-base hits yet. I'm not satisfied at all,' he said.

So far, he has hit 7 Home Run and 27 doble, matching last season's total, but one wonders if he wants to further increase the 'extra-base hits' he has been mentioning repeatedly since last autumn.

Of course I have them. Among those, hits are important, and of course I'm incredibly happy with them. If I were to be greedy, I'd say extra-base hits. I want to hit a doble or more, a triple, or a home run the most, so I want to keep working on that as an eternal theme.

This season, not only has he hit Home Run, but he has already reached the regulation number of At Bat, and his number of hit has reached 132, exceeding last season's 117. Regarding reaching the regulation At Bat and his season hit count surpassing last year's, Nishikawa seemed completely unconcerned, saying, 'I am not satisfied with that at all; I think it's just a passing point.' He pledged to further improve his skills, stating, 'I am always thinking about how I can hit more and more. I am painfully aware of my own shortcomings, and I have to aim higher and higher. I want to keep doing more and more.'

Aiming for the leading hitter title, which is the goal for this season, the player wants to produce a large number of hits in the remaining games. 'I think I just have to hit, so I'm preparing for every game to be able to hit by any means necessary. I want to do my best with a strong spirit.' With a 10-game stretch scheduled for the very end of the season, fatigue is likely accumulating, but the player hopes to push through this and seize the glory of the leading hitter title.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita