I'll quit if I can't do my best. I lost 17kg, but back pain recurred, and as promised, I'm leaving without regret

Aug 15, 2025

I'll quit if I can't do my best. I lost 17kg, but back pain recurred, and as promised, I'm leaving without regret
Chunichi veteran infielder Nakata announced that he will end his 18-year professional career after this season. Nagata joined Nippon Ham as a first-place name in 2008 and had a career-high 309 home runs. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS



I'll quit if I can't do my best. I lost 17kg, but back pain recurred, and as promised, I'm leaving without regret
In the end, the back pain was not overcome. Nakata lost 17 kilograms last winter and wanted to throw the final game. However, he announced his retirement due to a recurrence of back pain. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS
Chunichi Dragons coach Kazuki Inoue explained the reason why infielder Sho Nakata (36) was removed from the first-team entry on the 12th, saying, "It is in poor condition. It's hard to write short" He returned to the first team on the 7th and had no hits in 3 at-bats as a pinch hitter. He failed to meet the expectations of Inoue, who posted Nakata after watching the Western League (second division) game in person. Even though it is difficult to go back to the shining days, he would have wanted to show the presence of the best hitter at least once. The last time he will be remembered for his at-bat in the sixth inning against Hiroshika Karp on August 10, when he stepped down with a pitcher fly ball. Nakata is said to have decided to retire immediately after his first-team registration was canceled on the 12th.

1,579 hits - 309 homers - 1087 RBIs in total. 'A big shot' Nakata puts the bat down. He joined the Nippon-Ham Fighters as a first name in 2008 and ended his 18-year professional career. The long-suffering back pain came back. Japanese media reported that Nakata lost 17kg last winter. I put everything into it to get out of my back pain, but I couldn't get over it in the end. He played in 25 games this season and posted a batting average of 0.167 (12 hits in 62 at-bats) with two home runs and four RBIs.

He must have gone downhill and been preparing to retire. He must have felt like he was on the edge of a cliff every year. It was the same this year. "Now it's impossible to compete by force. If I can't do my best, I'll quit." It was not a bluff, but a sincere word. If he falls out, one prospect has a chance. He didn't drag on.




The professional baseball rookie draft held in October 2007. The Nippon Ham, as well as the Hanshin Tigers, Orix Buffaloes and softbank Hawks drafted the Osaka Doingo infielder in the first round. After the draw, Nippon Ham took Nakata.

I have been good at baseball since childhood. No. 4- stood out as a pitcher. He went to Osaka Doin High School and has been a main player since his freshman year.
I'll quit if I can't do my best. I lost 17kg, but back pain recurred, and as promised, I'm leaving without regret
Nakata had a total of 300 home runs in 2023 when he was a member of the Yomiuri Giants. Nakata, who moved to Yomiuri from Nippon Ham in August 2021, moved to Chunichi at the end of the 2023 season. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS
He participated in the Koshien tournament for three years. He hit 87 home runs in his high school career. It was the highest record at the time.

He also became the center hitter in the professional league. He hit his first home run in his third year as a professional and started playing as a starting player in his fourth year. He recorded 100 RBIs for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016. He was the RBI king of the Pacific League three times in 2014, 2016, and 2020. He scored 100 RBIs over five seasons. He received five Golden Gloves and was included in the Best Nine five times.




In 2016, when Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) was active with 'Idolryu', Nakata won the Japan Series as the fourth batter. He had three RBIs in Game 3 of the Hiroshima Carp and Japan Series. He hit a tiebreaking solo home run in Game 4 and drew a pushaway walk that determined his victory in Game 6. He received the Japan Series Outstanding Player Award that year. He said "I came to believe that if the team came together, we wouldn't lose."

I thought I'd only walk flat, but suddenly left Nippon Ham in August 2021. It was traded to the Yomiuri Giants for free. It was shortly after the game caused a problem by assaulting a fellow player from behind the bench. He quits Nippon-Ham, `I'll look back at me again. I will be a better person as a baseball player, as a human being," he bowed his head.

Played two and a half years for Yomiuri and moved to Chunichi in 2024. There were two years left on the contract, but he declared an opt-out. The chances of playing in the Yomiuri were decreasing. He thanked the Yomiuri Giants for keeping baseball going. At-bat, I want to keep on the ground."




I'll quit if I can't do my best. I lost 17kg, but back pain recurred, and as promised, I'm leaving without regret
Nakata returned to the first team on the 7th and recorded no hits in 3 at-bats as a pinch hitter. Coach Inoue lowered him to the second division and 'He's not in good shape. It's hard to write for a short period of time." Nakata, who had a recurrence of back pain, decided to retire shortly after his first-team registration was canceled. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS
It signed a two-year-600 million yen contract with Chunichi. He wore the uniform number '6' that he used in his time at Nippon Ham. I said I would play the last game in Chunichi, but I ended it. He played 62 games in his first year on the transfer. He finished with a batting average of 0.217-4 homers and 21 RBIs.

Nakata played for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2013 and 2017 and the Premier 12 Japan in 2015. He was the youngest fielder for the WBC team in 2013.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.