43 years old in July this year “I want to rebuild my body again and do it for a year at the end”
Kei Igawa, who played for the Hanshin Tigers, Orix, and the Yankees and marked 95 wins in Japan and the United States. The left arm, which has been moving away from the mound of the official game at the end of 2017, is still active without belonging. This time, in an interview with Full-Count, he talked about the reason why he did not declare his retirement from active duty, his feelings for the old nest Tigers, and so on.
Ikawa became a free contract with Orix in 2015 off, and in 2017 officially joined the independent league Hyogo Blue Sanders, which had been practicing from the previous year. He pitched in 14 games that year, with an overwhelming record of 11-0 and an ERA of 1.10, but he did not return to NPB. After leaving the Blue Sanders in the same year, he has continued training without belonging.
It’s been 5 years since I became independent. When asked why he hasn’t announced his retirement yet, he says, “The first thing is that my shoulders and elbows are fine. Finally, I want to rebuild my body again and do it for a year.” Due to the influence of Korona-ka, he hasn’t been able to practice as much as he wants, but he says he is building his body by running and hitting the wall in the park at midnight when there are few people.