By Saruwatari Tsuyoshi, Kyoto Shimbun News

August 29, 2014: Kyoto, Japan – A gentle roar fell over the stadium as he strode majestically to the plate. Straining in the late day sun, every eye was glued to his stride, looking for any sign of an impaired gait. Immense hands wrapped around the bat as he dug into the box. Steely eyes watched coolly as the first pitch sailed past for a strike. The next pitch came hurtling in and he uncoiled in a flash, sending the ball through the gap past the diving second baseman. He dashed out of the box like a thoroughbred, easily getting safely to first. The fans exploded. RF Shimpei Adachi was back!

His leadoff single in his first at bat put the exclamation point on his recent contract extension. With a flourish of the pen, Edo defined the future of the club with two big signings that delighted the fans.

Adachi’s extension came first with a 5-year extension worth $62.4 million. It was no big secret that the club really wanted to bring Shimpei back. There have been huge concerns about the state of his knee, which was broken when he went hard into the wall in last year’s Neo-Tokyo Cup. By all accounts, his speed is right where it was. A bigger concern is how his bat will fare after so much time off the field. Can he return to form and be ready for the post-season?

SP Takanibu “Decoy” Murata was the second signing, netting $9.8 million over two years. Reportedly, the club was looking for a longer-term deal. Some will question the amount of money for such a short-term deal. Both parties agree that this is the first part of a much longer relationship with the stellar ace. The 22-year-old is in only his third year in the LRS. He owns a 34-20 record with 495 K and a 1.08 WHIP. His talent is immense, and at his age, the future is bright indeed.