Katsuya Kadonaka, who has been devoted to Lotte for 20 years, retires from active duty.

The 39-year-old Kawanaka, who has been devoted to Lotte for 20 years, played in his final game as a No. 6 left winger. A batting expert who became the first player from an independent league to become the leading batter. I put down the bat without any regrets.

Softbank's starting pitcher was Yu Maeda, who had multiple titles at stake, including the most wins. Kakinaka said, ``I'm grateful to finally have a serious match against the best pitcher right now.'' In his third at-bat in the 7th inning, with no hits, he took a half-swing and struck out. Due to leg cramps, he was sent as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, and was unable to close out the game on a high note.

Became a professional player in 2007 in the seventh round of the college/worker draft. Whenever he had some free time, he would pick up a bat and practice hard. He produced a large number of brilliant hits with his well-honed swing, and in 2016 he won the title of No. 1 hitter and the title for the most hits for the second time. Coach Ishimine, who was with him when he was an active player, says, ``Quantity increases quality. He demonstrated that the most on the team.''

At his retirement ceremony after the match, he expressed his gratitude, saying, ``I've been able to get this far thanks to the support of many people.'' At the end, they slowly walked around the field, showered with confetti thrown by the fans.