Sota Ikegaya announces retirement from professional baseball

Sota Ikegaya, a left-handed pitcher for Hayate Ventures Shizuoka, has announced his retirement from professional baseball at the end of the current season. The 27-year-old announced his decision during a press conference at Churu Stadium Shimizu.

Ikegaya, a native of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, previously played for Shizuoka High School and Yamaha in amateur baseball before being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. After being released by DeNA in the 2023 off-season, he joined Hayate in 2024. Reflecting on his career, Ikegaya noted that while returning to the NPB's 12 major teams would be difficult at his age, he felt fortunate to have played in his home prefecture to support local baseball.

In his current season with Hayate, Ikegaya has appeared in 54 games, recording 2 wins, 2 losses, and 1 save with an ERA of 5.13. His retirement game is scheduled for September 26 against the Seibu Lions' second team at Churu Stadium Shimizu.