*This content was translated by AI.
Lotte Giants Asian quarter player Masaya Kyoyama (28) expressed his excitement about his first KBO league challenge.
Kyoyama said in an interview with reporters before leaving for Tainan, Taiwan, where the 2026 Lotte Spring Camp will be held through Gimhae International Airport on the 25th. I think the level of baseball between Korea and Japan is not that different, so I think I want to pitch my own."
Lotte will start a total of 40 days of spring camp from this day to March 5. The camp, which will involve a total of 41 players, including 20 pitchers, five catchers, nine infielders and seven outfielders, will be divided into the first round in Tainan, Taiwan, and the second round in Miyazaki, Japan. Kyoyama, who had been in Korea in advance since the 20th, left with the team on the day.
Kyoyama said, "I wanted to build up a little more and go to camp. (Although it was a short time), everyone was really happy and it was good because the atmosphere was good."
It was in the foreign pitching sector that Lotte, which had a quiet winter without recruiting outside FA, gave strength. Jeremy Bisley (31) and Elvin Rodriguez (28) gave strength to foreigners with one-two punches, and he focused on recruiting Kyoyama.
According to the Lotte club, Kyoyama is a right-hander who has the advantage of a fastball of up to 155km/h and a large splitter. The simple and soft pitching form is attractive, and the game can be operated based on the rotational power of the fastball and the trajectory of the breaking ball. He also played in the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) for nine seasons and gained more than 1,000 innings of experience.
Kyoyama said, "I was waiting for NPB contact, but it came from Lotte first. Before that, I also wanted to play abroad, he said. "I don't know any KBO league players in detail, but I learned indirectly because there were players who entered the Major League. I heard Lotte is a team with history and tradition and really passionate fans. So there's something I'm looking forward to a little more," he said with a smile.
In an interview conducted through Lotte's official YouTube after the recruitment, he showed his affection for K-POP (Korean pop music) and drew attention. When asked about his relationship with Korea at the time, Kyoyama said, "I originally listened to Korean songs often. I like the group more than the song. Last year (on NPB) my song was by Baby Monster," he said.
What was the song that appeared in Lotte. He said, "We haven't decided yet. We are recruiting," he said, asking Lotte fans for help. Lotte, which experienced a record fall in the second half of the year when the mound was shaken last year, expects Kyoyama, who can be used in both the starting and bullpen.
Kyoyama said, "I want to throw it as a starter, but I'm ready to work hard in whatever role the team entrusts me to. I don't have a goal set by numbers, but I want to be a pitcher who has a low ERA and can strike out more because I want to help the team," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
