[Rakuten Eagles] Kenta Maeda returns to Japan for the first time in 11 years, welcoming questions from teammates: “If there’s anything I can help with…” 165 wins in Japan and the US
Sports Hochi
January 31, 2026 13:55
Rakuten Eagles Kenta Maeda pitcher (37) took part in a joint voluntary training session in Kanatake, Okinawa, on March 31. catch The right-hander, who has returned to the Japanese baseball world after an 11-year absence, wiped off his sweat, saying, “I had to move around yesterday, so I worked out lightly today to prepare for tomorrow.
He practiced wearing a navy blue cap with “Golden Eagle” written in white letters. “I bought it on Rakuten Eagles Market,” he said with a smile. This season will see him start anew in a new environment. “Personally, my goal is to stick to the rotation, win a lot, and pitch a lot. As a team, I want to be number one in Japan, no matter what,” he said passionately.
The experience of the right-hander, who has won 165 games in Japan and the U.S., is also valuable to the team. He welcomes questions from his teammates. I’m happy to answer questions from teammates. I don’t know if there’s much I can teach you, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there. I’m sure there are a lot of good pitcher guys out there, and if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m open to it, while keeping my own senses in mind. I think I can learn a lot from listening to various pitcher senses and stories, so I hope we can communicate with each other.
The training camp will begin on February 1st. The veteran, who will start the first-team training camp, stated that he will be in bullpen from the first day of training camp, saying, “It’s only the first day, so normally it’s not the right time to go in, but with a new team and a new environment, I think I’ll go in bullpen to get off to a good start.”