Kotoshi Satake, a 40-year-old pitcher who was the ace pitcher for Toyota Motor Corporation, a powerhouse of adult baseball, and was nicknamed ``Mr. Adult Baseball,'' has announced his intention to retire this summer.
Satake is a 40-year-old veteran from Shodoshima in Kagawa Prefecture who joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 2006 from Waseda University and will be playing professional baseball for 19 years this year.
Although he is small at 1 meter and 69 cm, he has a fast throw of 154 km/h from a unique small takeback and good control, and in 2016, he won 4 wins, including 2 shutouts, and won the team's first championship. For his contribution, he won the Hashido Award, which is the best player of the tournament.
He also won the Japan Championship six times and was the ace of a powerful team for many years, earning him the nickname "Mr. Amateur Baseball."
On the 26th, pitcher Satake announced on YouTube that he intends to retire this summer, with an eye on participating in the intercity baseball tournament that will be held this July.
Pitcher Satake talked about the reason he was able to remain active for 19 years: ``It's because adult baseball is fun, where each player puts their all into helping the team win. I want more people to know how fun this is.'' ” he explained.
He then said, ``I will never forget the support of all the fans who have supported me this far.I want to go wild with the big cheers at Tokyo Dome again this summer, so please support me.'' .