If things keep going the way they are, Kodai Senga will make opposing batters hope the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks become flexible enough to let him move to the major leagues.
The 26-year-old Senga, who has consistently been rated highly by major league scouts and is eager to move to the majors, told Kyodo News in a Saturday interview he has remade himself this season after spending some of his offseason with Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish.
"I was very conscious about really improving this year," he said at MetLife Dome outside of Tokyo. "I changed how I train. The big thing was Darvish inviting me to train with him. I went to his home in Dallas. There we spent time together and trained together."