In his rookie year of 2023, pitcher Kosei Shoji of the Rakuten Eagles was promoted to the first team in April. As a part of the starting rotation, he pitched in 19 games and demonstrated stable pitching with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses.While shouldering the expectations of being the next ace, his expression remained remarkably ordinary.I'm already prepared for it.

Having played in 19 games last season, the team won 11 of them, demonstrating his effectiveness as a starting pitcher and proving his worth in the professional league.Furthermore, with ace pitcher Takahiro Norimoto being switched to a reliever this season, the expectations placed on pitcher Shoji have significantly increased.However, it is also true that I have only been doing it for a year.Keeping my feet on the ground, I continue to ponder what I can do now.

――Considering your performance last season, I believe expectations for Pitcher Shoji have increased. What role do you feel is being asked of you this season?

I believe what is expected is to enter the starting rotation and pitch in 25 to 26 games.However, as far as I’m concerned, reaching the prescribed number of innings pitched is my ultimate goal, and within that, I want to achieve more than double-digit wins.While I appreciate the expectations placed on me, I believe it’s important to be aware of what I want to do and what I need to do as I approach each match.

――So, you’re placing more emphasis on the number of pitches rather than the number of matches.

I want to become a starting pitcher who can throw for long innings, so I want to further polish my pitching technique for that purpose.On top of that, I want to be able to pitch in more games.However, there is no doubt that my sense of responsibility has increased compared to last year, so I feel I must be more rigorous.

――Is there a significant difference in your feelings between the first and second year?

Last year was my first year as a professional, so I felt a sense of being kindly watched over by those around me.Although I received some positive words, the content wasn’t that great when I looked at it, so I feel that there was a caveat of “for the first year” even if it wasn’t explicitly stated.”It’s a good performance for the first year, isn’t it?”From this year onwards, we have to fight without that, so we have to aim for results that anyone would think are “amazing”.

――What do you feel is necessary for you right now to pitch long innings, which is your goal, or to maintain the rotation for a year?

There will definitely be good times and bad times, so I believe it’s important to control yourself throughout the season.I believe that if you easily change what you’ve been doing just because the results of a particular day were bad, it won’t last.I want to focus on what needs to be done, without being swayed by the voices around me, and to have a strong core within myself.

――You are expected to be the next ace, but what is the “image of an ace” that Shoji envisions?

They certainly are a reassuring presence for the team when standing on the mound.Even when things aren’t going well, an ideal pitcher is someone who can reassure others by making them think “It’s alright because Shoji is pitching”, and can serve as a pillar to lessen everyone’s burden.

――What is needed to become the ace you aspire to be?

What matters most is indeed the result.How to suppress the batter and keep accumulating victories.There is nothing else to do but to ensure that you can consistently deliver good performance.

――Shoji, as a pitcher, is fulfilling the dream he had as a child and is pursuing a career as a professional baseball player.What kind of future do you want to envision from now on?

I believe that as we grow as humans, our performance will also improve. Regardless of one’s position or background, I want to share thoughts with various people.Of course, I want to be flexible not only in technical matters, but also in other areas.Other people may have ways of thinking that I do not possess, and knowing those should change my perspective on things, or give rise to some new ideas.

――Could you give a message to the children who admire Shoji ?

Of course, I hope you aim to become a professional baseball player, but even if it’s not baseball, I want you to become a “professional”.Even for salaried workers, they are, so to speak, professionals in their respective fields.A vector can point in any direction.Whether you can forge ahead without fear of being different from others, strongly conscious of what you want to do and what you must do, is the question.I just happen to like Baseball, and I made it my job.You must be prepared to do anything, just like everything else.

There is no doubt that the performance of pitcher Shoji will greatly influence the team’s results this season.How to overcome that pressure and walk the path to becoming an ace.In the second year of competition, there are high expectations for him to excel as a key player in the team.

TEXT: Chiharu Abe
PHOTO: Yuki Nara
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)