The uniform number of Yusuke Kinoshita, who joined the team in the same year at the age of 27 in August last year.
Infielder Yota Kyoda, who transferred to DeNA in a swap trade from Chunichi, attended a signing press conference at the team office in Yokohama on the 5th. The dress number is “98”. He chose the number given by Yusuke Kinoshita, who died suddenly at the age of 27 on August 3rd last year when he joined Chunichi at the same time, and aims to come back in a new world with the thoughts of his deceased comrades is thinking
With a nervous look on his face, he said first, “I’m full of thanks.” After finishing his sixth year as a professional, he suddenly faced a trade. “I was surprised, but I was also happy,” he said. In recent years, the situation has been smoldering, and the feeling of a change of environment and a fresh start is great. “As long as I’m a baseball player, there’s no meaning unless I’m in the game. I can only thank the BayStars for giving me the opportunity,” he said. Regarding his goal for next season, he said strongly, “My goal is to be a regular in 143 games in the short program.”
Mr. Kinoshita, who was a year older than me, was a friend of the family, and on his days off, the two families often went out together. The shock of her sudden passing was great, but she still had a strong desire to fight alongside Yusuke. In the Chunichi era, he wore the number 1 uniform that he aspired to from the third year, but in Yokohama he chose “98” despite several candidates. At DeNA, this will be the first time since the Audi fielder Ciriaco in 2017.
In 2017, his first year as a professional, he won rookie of the year with 149 hits, breaking the team’s rookie record. In 2018, he played in all 143 games. While his defense has grown to be one of the best in the league, he struggles to hit. In 2021, he experienced the first two departures from the army in his professional life. In 2022, when the new manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami was appointed, he experienced his banishment during the match due to the wrath of the commander in May. 172 batting average, 1 home run and 8 RBI in 43 appearances, the worst of his career.
