[Buffaloes Inside] Why Orix Buffaloes ‘s Ryoma Nishikawa uses Taishi Hirooka ‘s glove
Baseball King
May 1, 2026 22:30
Ryoma Nishikawa of Orix Buffaloes has been a regular starter since the opening of the season, leading the team with his hitting. The glove he’s using belongs to Taishi Hirooka, who is currently sidelined due to injury. It embodies the hope for Hirooka’s speedy recovery.
“I just use it because it’s cool. There was a big glove in the locker, so I thought I’d borrow it for a while. Do you want me to come back soon? Of course I have.” When I asked him about his unusual grab, he revealed his true feelings at the end like a shy Nishikawa.
Hirooka was removed from the roster on April 18 due to a lower body injury and is currently undergoing rehabilitation with the minor league team. According to Nishikawa, the glove was “at the back of the locker and clearly didn’t look like it was being used,” and he added, “It’s the size. I originally use a small glove, so I thought I’d try a bigger one. I don’t know if it’s easy to handle, but it simply looks cool.” It seems like “unauthorized use,” but there’s no doubt that his main motivation is the feeling of fighting alongside Hirooka.
Nishikawa, in his third year since transferring from Hiroshima, is hitting well. In the first four games of the season, he had 7 At Bat in 16 hit, for a batting average of .438. He has had hit streak of 11 games since mid-April, and has had multiple hit in 4 of those games. He is the only player to have started every game since the season began, mainly as the “number 3 hitter and left fielder”.
Even so, Nishikawa’s expression remained gloomy as he said, “I only got multiple hits four times (in 11 games). I wanted more than half of them.” Regarding his batting performance, he was critical of himself, saying, “My condition isn’t good. It’s just that the ball was going where I was lucky. I need to hit more.”
In his first year after transferring teams, he recorded a team-leading 11 stolen base, but his batting average was only .258. In his second year, having become accustomed to Pacific League pitcher, he was sidelined by a leg injury towards the end of the season, missing out on the batting title by 31 plate hitter, but still managed to hit .310.
In his second year, he declared he was “not under pressure” and produced a large number of hit with his skillful bat control. In his third year, he reveals, “I’m feeling the pressure.” “I was able to do reasonably well last year, so I have to do at least that much this year as well. In fact, I have to do even more. Opponents are also studying me to some extent, and they won’t let me get hits easily. I’m trying different things, but it’s not a comfortable kind of pressure,” he confesses.
Regarding Nishikawa, first-outfield defense base running coach Matsui Yusuke said, “Right now, when Tomoya (Mori) is playing catcher, Seymour plays as the designated hitter, and when Kenta (Wakatsuki) is playing in the field, Tomoya plays as the designated hitter, so I think that’s something that manager (Kishida Mamoru) is worried about. Ryoma also had an injury to his leg last year, but he said, ‘I’m fine,’ which we’re grateful for.”
Batting second ahead of him is Haruto Watanabe who is currently on a breakout batting slump. His speed, which allows him to reach third base even on single hit as a runner on first, is a huge asset to the team. “I knew he would do something like that if he got the chance,” he said, beaming at Watanabe’s performance. “He’s amazing for someone so small. I want to be a player like him. Everything. He has a good eye for pitches, a high success rate, and he can hit and field. Especially his speed and defense.” The 11-year veteran is inspired by the dynamism of the 5-year veteran and is striving to reach even greater heights.
Interview and text by Masaki Kitano
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