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Catcher Hikaru Ota has declared free agency from Rakuten, and a transfer to Hiroshima is being considered. If this happens, he will be the first player in Hiroshima team history to join the free agency.
On the 11th, catcher Hikaru Ota (30), who declared himself a free agent from Rakuten, went to Sendai to negotiate with Hiroshima about joining the team, and said, ``I felt his enthusiasm and it was a good time.'' He said, ``If you don't have Ota-kun, we can't aim for a championship,'' which made me very happy.''
A graduate of Koryo High School, he spent his high school years in Hiroshima. If the transfer goes through, he will be the first player to join Hiroshima as a free agent. ``I want to go down in the history of the team. If that happens, I'm sure I'll feel a lot of pressure, but I want to do my best with those thoughts on my shoulders,'' he said.
Coach Arai, who came from Miyazaki during fall training camp, praised him, saying, ``His dedication as a catcher is amazing.'' He himself had the experience of being transferred to a free agency, and said, ``I told him that changing his environment and taking on challenges will definitely be beneficial not only for his future in baseball, but also for his life.''

Jacob Miziolowski of the Brewers became the first starting pitcher in major league history to average over 100 mph (100.6 mph) in annual fastball velocity during the 2026 season. He throws a number of shocking fastballs and talks about his own limits and his commitment to training.

The selection committee for this season's newly established ``Nagashima Shigeo Award'' was held in Tokyo on the 12th, and infielder Teruaki Sato of Hanshin, who won the Triple Crown, was selected. Sadaharu Oh, chairman of the selection committee, and others sent cheers to Sato, who will be competing in the Major League next season.

The selection committee for the newly established ``Nagashima Shigeo Award'', which honors fielders who have played an active role in running, attacking, and defending in professional baseball, was held in Tokyo on the 12th, and infielder Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin League, who won the triple crown in the Central League, was selected as the first recipient of the award.

Major League Baseball's awards were announced on the 11th, with the Hank Aaron Award going to Crowe Armstrong from the National League and Alvarez from the AL. Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, who aimed to win the award for the third consecutive year, missed out.

The Asian Professional Baseball Championship, an international tournament featuring young players, will begin on the 12th at Tokyo Dome. Samurai Japan's manager Iguchi, who is aiming for a third consecutive championship, declares that he will aim for the championship with aggressive baseball. Kanemaru will start in the first match against Taiwan.

On the 10th, the Yomiuri Giants visited Yokohama High School's pitcher Shoki Oda (18), who was drafted first in the draft, to greet the school. Oda has announced that he will challenge for the major leagues, and the Giants apologized for the forced nomination and explained the circumstances. Going forward, they hope to wait for Oda to finish his interviews with the major league team and inform them of his development policy.