[Orix Buffaloes] Kazuma Sato marries ace pitcher Hiroya Miyagi, a left-handed pitcher who joined the team at the same time. "He's cute in everything he does." Their straightforward six-year love story has blossomed | Pacific League

[Orix Buffaloes] Kazuma Sato gets married. The left-handed pitcher, who joined the team at the same time as ace pitcher Hiroya Miyagi, “She’s cute no matter what she does.” Their straightforward six-year romance has blossomed.

Sports Hochi

2026.1.30(金) 05:00

Orix Buffaloes 's Kazuma Sato (left) poses in a uniform with his wife, with Enoshima in Kanagawa in the background. The photo was taken by professional photographer Ryosuke Kato, a close friend and classmate from his days at Muraoka Junior High School in Kanagawa (provided by Sato himself).

It was revealed on the 29th that Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes pitcher Kazuma Sato (24) had gotten married. His partner is an ordinary woman from Kanagawa Prefecture who was his classmate at Yokohama Hayato. After dating for about six years, they submitted their marriage registration on January 7th, which is a lucky day.

Sato Hajime smiled shyly. “He’s just so adorable no matter what he does…” The two wins he achieved as a pro were in pitching duels against The Giants pitcher Sugano and Softbank Hawks ‘s Arihara (both at the time). Just like his attitude towards baseball, his love for him was sincere and bountiful.

Miyagi, who announced his marriage on January 10th, was selected first overall and joined the team as the first development pick in the 2019 draft. Living in the dormitory amid the COVID-19 pandemic, his nightly phone calls were a source of support. In 2024, after earning a regular registration, he gave up six runs in the first inning in a game Rakuten Eagles (Hotto Kobe) on July 21st, suffering his first professional loss. “I got hit…” he muttered in the car on the way home. “That was cool!” she cheerily congratulated him. That was the moment he decided in his heart that “I want to be with this person.”

He proposed in the early summer of 2013. He prepared a necklace and headed to Mount Maya in Kobe, where he could see a beautiful night view. He unexpectedly encountered fog, but when he returned home, he told her, “Let’s get married.” On his day off, he went to Mie Prefecture and gave her blue roses, her favorite color.

His father, Oma, runs the popular sushi restaurant “Nidaime Shoraku” in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. He also plans to report the news to his master, Iron Chef Rokusaburo Dojo (95). They plan to live together in Osaka Prefecture from March, and in his seventh year as a professional, he said, “I think of this year as a gift to me.” Now that he has found a lifelong partner, the large left-handed pitcher is breaking out of his shell in one fell swoop.

◆Sato Kazuma: Born April 16, 2001 in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. 24 years old. Started playing baseball at Fujisawa Youth baseball Club, and played for Yamato Little Senior in junior high. Became the ace pitcher for Yokohama Hayato in the fall of his second year. Never played Koshien. Joined Orix Buffaloes as the first pick in the development draft in 2019. Registered as a regular player on June 8, 2024, he made his first professional start and win the following day against The Giants (Tokyo Dome). His career record is 2 wins, 2 losses, 1 hold, and ERA 6.12 in 8 games. He is 190 cm tall and weighs 97 kg. He throws and bats left-handed. Annual salary: 8 million yen.