On June 8, during the "Going to Patele on Mondays" segment on the official YouTube channel of Persol Pacific League TV, guest Takayuki Kajitani spoke about the character of his former teammate, Soto.
Chiba Lotte Marines, who win for the June 4 match against Yakult in Tokyo. Sotho. The player delivered a standout performance, including two RBI hits: 3 hit 3 RBI. He played for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars until 2023, and despite being a foreign player, he was named captain of the Chiba Lotte Marines this season. When asked about this, his former teammate Kajitani smiled and said, “It’s because he’s such a great guy.”
"He’s incredibly kind," says Kajitani. He describes him as "the type who works quietly without complaining" and has a serious, diligent personality. In fact, there’s a story about how, during the February training camp, he sent his teammates a long message filled with passion. He also has a strong sense of responsibility, making him well-suited to be a captain.
Mr. Kajitani mentioned that Soto speaks Japanese, asking things like, “Are you okay?” and “How are you?” Hearing this, Ginji asked, “What’s your favorite food?” It seemed even his former colleague, Mr. Kajitani, didn’t know the answer, and the unexpected question sparked both confusion and laughter.
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"Mondays at Patere" was launched with the hope of creating a fun experience for fans of Pro baseball and Pacific League, even on Mondays when there are few matches.
LIVE streaming program "Mondays also go to Patere" (Japanese only)
Distribution date: Every Monday at 9:00 p.m. (scheduled to be distributed through October during the season)
Distribution: PERSOL Pacific League TV's official YouTube channel
Performers: Professional baseball alumni duo performs on a weekly basis
(Ryota Igarashi & Sho Nakata / Ginji & Yuji Kaneko / GG Sato & T-Okada / Motonobu Tanishige & Tomoya Satosaki)
Next Monday, the 15th, GG Sato and T-Okada will be joined by special guest Masashi Yamamoto. Don’t miss it!
Soto is "incredibly kind," says former teammate Takayuki Kajitani about the Marines' new captain.
Pacific League Insight
