Coach Kaneko Makoto and Oya Tomowa have also announced their departure
On the 6th, Lotte announced that it had notified seven players, including pitchers Kuniyoshi Yuki, Nishimura Tenyuu, and Niki Kota, that they would not sign players contracts for next season.
Other announcements were pitcher Iwashita Daiki, infielder Oshita Seiichiro, and infielder Kaneda Yuta, as well as pitcher Nagashimada Teruto, who was developing the game. According to the team, six players other than Niki want to continue playing.
Kuniyoshi finished the season in his 16th year without pitching in the first team for the first time since he transferred from DeNA to Lotte. He pitched in 20 games in the farm and had an ERA of 5.49. In total, he has made 313 appearances, with 26 wins, 31 losses, 61 holds and 6 saves.
Niki, who is in his 12th year in the professional league, has only appeared in one game this season in the first team. He pitched in the home of the final game of the season against SoftBank, allowing four runs in one inning. In 2020, he started in 15 games, losing 9 wins and 3 losses and an ERA of 3.40, and was a member of the starting rotation.
On the 5th, Lotte announced that manager Yoshii Yoshito will step down and that Saburo (Omura Saburo) will become the first team head coach. On the 6th, it was also announced that Kaneko Makoto, the first team’s chief defensive and baserunning coach, Oya Tomokazu, the second team’s chief pitcher, will leave the team at the end of this season. They finished last in the league with 56 wins, 84 losses, and 3 draws. Under the new manager, he will try to make a comeback next season.
(Full-Count Collection Department)
