Veteran slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara said Tuesday he is eager to continue his playing career next year in an Orix Buffaloes uniform and will miss the rest of this season to focus on treating a knee injury.
"Time has passed very quickly since I joined (the team in) spring training," Kiyohara said, " and I trained harder all year than I had, making me feel that I can't end this way and I want to rise up to a challenge for another year." Earlier in the day, Kiyohara was removed from the active roster following his meeting with manager Katsuhiro Nakamura, who gave the nod to his wish to focus on injury treatment.
Orix President Takashi Koizumi reacted positively about the 39-year-old's intention to continue with his career, saying it would be acceptable for the Pacific League club once contract talks settle in the offseason.
Kiyohara signed with Orix after being left out of the picture by the Yomiuri Giants a year ago. He started his career with the Seibu Lions in 1986 and moved to Yomiuri in 1997 as a free agent. Plagued with a series of injuries, Kiyohara has been limited to 67 games in his first season with Orix with a .222 batting average, 11 homers and 36 RBIs. The popular player is fifth on the all-time home run list with 525 career homers.