"It hurts a little," says Nippon-Ham Kota Kota Tatsu who declares his "big mouth" is over for next season | Pacific League

“It hurts a little,” says Nippon-Ham Kota Tatsu, who declares he’s “graduating from big talk” ahead of next season

Sports Hochi

2025.11.18(火) 06:20

日本ハム・達孝太

Nippon-Ham pitcher Kota Tatsu (21) announced on the 17th that he will be “graduating from being a big mouth” ahead of his fifth season next year. This season, he has recorded seven consecutive wins without a loss as an all-starter since his debut, a new record for the NPB. His bold way of speaking has also attracted attention, but he revealed, “I’ve been able to reach most baseball fans. If I were 24 or 25 years old and saying things like that, I would think, ‘That’s a bit painful,’ so I think it’s about time to stop.”

The basis of his big mouth is his honest personality and self-promotion skills. “I could say some harmless things, but I feel like I’m lying to myself.” He left such an impression on “Kota Tatsu” with his unique expressiveness that even Director Shinjo was looking forward to seeing him.

“If I were a reporter, it would be easier to write if I had something to write about. Since high school, I’ve been thinking about each headline as I speak,” said the 21-year-old, who responds carefully to interviews every day, working backwards to plan the layout of the newspaper and the news.

During the off-season, he plans to travel alone to the United States to train for the second year in a row. “I want to rotate properly with six days off from the start of the year.” This future ace candidate will show a new side of himself next season, both in his play and in his words. (Kawakami Haruki)

◆Their main big mouths

“The booing was fun…” (July 14th, game against Seibu) He threw two consecutive pickoff pitches, which drew loud boos from Seibu fans. “I don’t get booed very often. I had so much fun that I threw it again.”

“I want to beat them to a pulp” (July 31st vs. Softbank) This was his first loss as a professional. “If I get a chance to pitch again, I want to pitch against The Hawks. I want to beat them to a pulp.”

▽ “Are they taking us for granted?” (August 26th, against Seibu) When manager Shinjo commented, “We created a game. That was more than enough,” after giving up two runs in the seventh inning, he replied, “I thought they were taking us for granted. I don’t want to be pitcher says, ‘Well done,’ after giving up just two runs in the sixth inning.”