Japanese professional baseball star Shugo Maki expresses for the first time his desire to challenge Major League Baseball: "I want to give it a try too."

Shugo Maki, a main infielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan’s professional league, completed contract talks with the club today, securing a renewal at 250 million yen per year (same conditions as before). During the press conference, he openly shared his aspiration to take on the challenge of MLB, stating: “Seeing more players challenge the Major Leagues, I gradually developed the thought of ‘I want to try it too’ after joining professional baseball.”

At 27 years old, Maki underwent surgery in August this season due to an injury at the base of his left thumb, resulting in a long absence. In the 2025 season, he played 93 games, hitting 16 home runs, with a batting average of .277 and 49 RBIs, all numbers below his performance in the previous four years. The team ultimately renewed his contract under the same salary terms.

Maki said, “I originally aimed to play all 143 games, but due to injury, I couldn’t compete for the entire season, which caused trouble for the team.”

Regarding MLB, Maki shared, “I usually follow the Major Leagues and watch the World Series, which excites me a lot. Seeing more players take on the challenge of MLB, ever since I joined professional baseball, the thought of ‘I want to try it too’ has gradually grown inside me.” However, he emphasized, “Before that, those who succeed in MLB have usually first won championships or earned recognition in Japan. So right now, my only focus is helping my team win a championship.”

Maki also revealed that this is the first time he has formally expressed to the club his dream of pursuing MLB through the posting system: “This is the first time I have clearly stated this idea. In the past, when selected for the Japanese national team, I was asked about my intentions and only answered ‘interested.’ But as I’ve gotten older, this is the first time I have seriously discussed it.”