Nobuhiro Matsuda, who is popular with fans and is called "hot man" in professional baseball and Softbank, will leave the team.
At a press conference on the 28th, he said, "I had two choices: retire or leave and continue playing. I didn't make the decision to quit my favorite baseball."
Softbank announced on the 28th that it will not sign a contract with Matsuda next season.
In response to this, Matsuda held a press conference at the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka City and said, "I had no choice but to retire or leave and continue playing. I still love baseball. My body is still healthy. I love baseball. I didn't make the decision to quit on my own," he said, explaining why he decided to leave.
In the future, he hopes to continue playing for another professional baseball team.
Matsuda is an infielder who is known for his strong batting and fighting style.
At the press conference, Matsuda said, "When I walk around town, people say, 'You're Mr. Matsuda, aren't you?' I talked about my thoughts on the word.
Towards the fans, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "They supported me in good times and bad. It was because of them that I was able to grow."
Matsuda joined the team in 2006, and in his 17th year this year, he has participated in 1910 games in total, with 1831 hits, 301 home runs, and 991 RBIs, with a batting average of 20%, 6 minutes and 5 minutes.