Suspended in contract renewal negotiations … Unusual “dissatisfaction” with the team
On the 2nd, pitcher Kaiba Hirara of Seibu expressed his dissatisfaction, which can be said to be unusual. At the team office in Tokorozawa City, Saitama, he negotiated to renew the contract and put it on hold without signing. It seems that the problem is not the amount of money, but the policy of appointing the leaders, saying, “I can’t understand that I can’t even give you a chance.”
In 2020, his third year as a professional, he pitched in 54 games, the most in the league, and recorded an ERA of 1.87 and 33 holds. After emerging as a reliever, in 2021, he set a Japanese record of 39 consecutive games without conceding a goal, and pitched in 62 games as a guardian. Along with Rakuten and Nishiguchi, he pitched in 61 games, which is the most in the league this season. He shared the title of best middle pitcher with fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Mizukami.
The 23-year-old, who has been in full swing in relief for three years, had a secret next thought. At the press conference after the negotiations, he explained the reason, “The team thinks that ‘If you do it as a middleman, you will be able to contribute,’ and there is a difference there.”
He had a meeting with the new head coach, Kazuo Matsui, but he said, “I want you to act as a middleman. If you are behind me, you can calculate the game and you can rest assured.” He also spoke with GM Hisanobu Watanabe, but at the moment he did not listen to his thoughts.
It seems that there is no problem with the amount of money that seems to have been presented with an increase of 70 million yen. “(I want to play the starting pitcher) is growing, and now it’s a big explosion,” he said in a rare dissatisfaction.
(Full-Count editorial department)