[Softbank] Harudai Hamaguchi was cut from the team, “I was prepared for it” and hopes to continue playing. Disappointed in his first year with the team, during the Japan Series
Sports Hochi
2025.10.27(月) 10:48
Softbank On April 27, the National League Baseball Hall of Fame notified Haruhiro Hamaguchi pitcher that he will not sign a contract for the upcoming season. Hamaguchi, who joined DeNA in December last year in a trade with Mimori, was unfortunately forced out of the lineup after failing to pitch in a game for the first team. He was drafted first overall by DeNA in 2004, and in his first year with the team, he hit double-digit win numbers. He returned to the second team at the end of the season, but was unable to make an impact in his new position.
“I wasn’t able to perform well even in the second team, so I wasn’t involved in the competition. I was prepared,” he said, but declared, “I want to continue playing. I’ll wait for the call. Since September, I’ve been getting better little by little. Towards the end of the season, I’ve been feeling more and more like I can compete with this ball.” He hopes to play in the NPB, and said of overseas baseball, “I’m interested, but I have a family. It’s not just my problem, so I’ll talk to them about it first.”
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