Never, ever. Masanori Ishikawa spoke for himself and his team.
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows left-handed hurler, who racked up his third win of the season after working seven solid innings in a 2-1 triumph over the Yokohama BayStars at Jingu Stadium on Tuesday, revealed his strong will for this season with a serious expression, not even joining in the celebration of the victory.
"We experienced such a pitiful season last year," said Ishikawa (3-1, 1.63 ERA), who had a career-worse 4-7 record last season and a 4.38 ERA, ending a streak of five straight years with at least 10 wins that started in his rookie season.