[Orix Buffaloes] Kazuma Sato who is married, says, "I want to do my best for my wife." The big left-handed pitcher, who is the same age as ace pitcher Miyagi, has his best year ever with a "magic remodel" | Pacific League

[Orix Buffaloes] Kazuma Sato who is married, says, “I want to do my best for my wife.” The big left-handed pitcher, who is the same age as ace pitcher Miyagi, has his best year ever thanks to his “magic transformation.”

Sports Hochi

2026.1.30(金) 05:00

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

It was revealed on the 29th that pitcher Kazuma Sato (24) of Orix Buffaloes has gotten married. pitcher Hiroya Miyagi Miyagi (24), who announced his marriage on January 10th, joined the team as the first pick in the 2019 draft and was promoted to the regular team in June 2024, his fifth year as a pro. Orix Buffaloes reporter Shunta Nanbu gave his stamp of approval to the leap made by this man who now has found his lifelong partner.

Having caught the love of his life, Sato Hajime is set to enter his seventh year as a pro, his best yet. After 25 years in which he won the Western League’s most wins title (10 wins) for the second time, Sato has set “improving output” as his theme for establishing himself in the first-team rotation this offseason. “I want to be able to transfer power to the ball at the end. The way I use my body is like Chapman…” His ultimate ideal is the Red Sox’s “Fastest Man in the World,” a left-handed pitcher who is also over 190 cm tall. He underwent a no-compromise “magic modification” program.

This offseason, he visited Hideki Nagasaka (47), a former US independent leaguer who has experience coaching Ogasawara (Nationals affiliate). He spent four hours every day training at the Perfect Pitch and Swing baseball facility in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. In addition to improving his form, he also repeated bridge drills to create upper body rotation and jump squat drills to develop explosive power. “These were things I had never paid attention to in my baseball career. If I can use my body properly, I can throw 150 km/h. If only I could throw 155 km/h.” It seems the day when he will significantly improve his personal best of 148 km/h is just around the corner.

Since his first year as a professional in 2020, the ace who was also born in 2001 has always been a source of inspiration to him. “It’s not an effort or anything when I do 100 times what Miyagi can do in 10 times. I’m in a position where I have to do many times more than Miyagi,” he said, overcoming each obstacle with an overwhelming amount of practice, and after four and a half years he has reached the same contract with Miyagi. “What Miyagi has accumulated is the best of our generation. I hope I can go at my own pace, in a good way, so that before I know it, I’ll think, ‘I’m getting a little closer.'” As he continues to make his own steps, the day will surely come when he can stand shoulder to shoulder with Miyagi.

His father, Oma, runs the popular sushi restaurant “Nidaime Shoraku” in Fujisawa, Kanagawa. “A man’s job is to earn money and not have financial problems,” was what the Sato family taught him. “This year I’ll be working hard and really challenging myself in a good way. I want to do my best for my wife.” The day is approaching when this upright man, who has acquired a sense of responsibility, will blossom into a magnificent flower. (Orix Buffaloes reporter, Nanbu Shunta)