Neither the 21-year-old right-hander nor the second-tier .400 hitter escaped the wind, and the 23 softbank players in the Japan Series shock loss notified (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)

Nov 05, 2024

Softbank is the top team in both leagues' winning percentage this season. He won 91 games. 13.5 games ahead of second-place Nippon Ham. Winning the Japan Series for the first time in four years seemed natural. However, after winning two consecutive games against Yokohama, the third-place team in the Central League, he lost four consecutive games and withdrew. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

SoftBank 4th batter Yamakawa. After being sluggish in the middle and second half of the first half, he ranked first in home runs and RBIs in both leagues. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

Ariha, who won the first game of the Japan Series and hit the final shot. Returning from Majorik in 2023, he signed with SoftBank. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

The No. 1 rookie draft pick and the second-tier .400 hitter also faced a sharp wind. Softbank Hawks, which failed to win the Japan Series, notified seven players of the termination of their contracts on the 4th. Right-hander Kyuta Kajima (21) and others were excluded from the list of candidates for renewal. Starting with nine players on October 7th, a total of 23 players, including foster players, were organized this offseason.

Softbank is the only team among the 12 Japanese professional baseball teams to operate a four-tier system. It is a team that emphasizes player development. In the rookie draft held last October, a total of 19 people were selected, including 13 nurturing players. It has more than 100 players, including foreign developers.

The size of the team is so large that many players come in every year. There are inevitably many players who leave the team. It is difficult to establish a position even if you go to the first team through the development process. Every moment is a race for survival.

Kazima, who was recognized as the best pitcher in high school, was a top prospect who received the number 1 when he joined the team. However, it did not meet the club's expectations. He has never pitched in a first-team game in three years. The record is all about throwing six games, five innings and allowing four runs in the second division this year. The club is expected to offer a nurturing contract to Don't Go.

Infielder Keisuke Nakata (25). I shed tears at the news of the termination of my official player contract. After going to Fukuoka University, he was named as the 14th candidate for fostering in 2022. He started in the first team this season, his third year as a member of the team. He went 3 for 14 in 24 games with a batting average of 214 and scored 2 points.

In the second division, he flew so fast. He recorded a batting average of .430 (31 hits in 77 at-bats) and a batting average of .421-OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .985. Even this strong performance did not appeal much. It is a second-tier record. The club offered him a conversion to a foster contract, but he is considering transferring to another club.

SoftBank is a team that invests aggressively to win the championship every year. While supplying the best foreign players, they brought key pitching players from the outside.

Hotaka Yamakawa, who was active as the fourth batter this season. He moved from the Seibu Lions last winter. He signed a contract for 4 years to 2 billion yen including incentives as an FA.

Outfielder Kondo became the home run-run king in his first year of transfer in 2023 and ranked No. 1 in batting this season. After playing for Nippon Ham, he changed into a Softbank uniform two years ago. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

In his first year of transfer, he became the home run (34)-RBI king (99). He had the most home runs and most RBIs in both leagues. Unfortunately, he contributed greatly to winning the league, although his poor performance in the Japan Series was disappointing.

Kondo Kenske, the No. 1 batting player (0.314) this season, changed into a softbank uniform while playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Signed for 7-5 billion yen in the offseason of 2022. The huge investment came back with a solid result. He topped the home run-run average last year. This year, he hit 19 home runs and 72 RBIs as the fifth batter behind Yamakawa.

Kohei Arihara, who won the most wins (14 games) this season, is also from Nippon Ham. I threw for two years in the major leagues and came to Softbank. Contracted for 3 Years - 1.2 Billion yen in Winter 2022.

Japanese media reported that Softbank is seeking to recruit Cuban closer Raidel Martinez for the Chunichi Dragons. He is a special closing pitcher who made 43 saves (1.09 ERA) this season. Softbank has Mexican finisher Robert Osuna, who receives an annual salary of 1 billion yen. This year, he had a 24-year-old - 3.76 ERA. He did not show an overwhelming performance compared to before.

Softbank first won two games against the Yokohama BayStars in the Japan Series and lost four consecutive games. He was shockingly defeated before the top of the table for the first time in four years.

Mexican closer Osuna. He received an annual salary of 1 billion yen, the highest in Japanese professional baseball this season. Photo capture = Softbank Hawks SNS

The No. 1 Pacific League team with the highest winning rate in both leagues was struck by the No. 3 Central League team.

Sometimes it is baseball that cannot be explained only by objective power.

huelva@sportschosun.com