{FOCUSONSOFTBANK}
SoftBank Hawks held a press conference on December 13 for newly acquired catcher Yudai Yamamoto, who joined the team via a trade from the DeNA BayStars. The event took place at Mizuho PayPay Dome.
Yamamoto, 27, donned his new uniform with the number 39 and spoke about his expectations. “I’m grateful that my play with the BayStars has been recognized. I’ll work hard to make that level of performance a natural part of my game here. Playing for a strong team means I’ll be expected to win,” he said.
The trade was finalized on December 12, and Yamamoto immediately traveled to Fukuoka to join the first team starting the same day. “The short time to adjust was actually a good thing,” he added. He has already been studying videos of three Pacific League games from the previous day to gather information.
Yamamoto also expressed gratitude toward his former teammate, DeNA pitcher Taiga Kamichatani, who sent him a long LINE message offering advice. “He told me the travel would be tough and that it might take time to get used to it,” Yamamoto said with appreciation.
There’s a possibility that Yamamoto will see game action as early as that day’s matchup against the Seibu Lions.
