【竹本由紀夫 ヤクルト】ロッテ1位指名も拒否し翌年ヤクルトドラフト1位で入団の社会人ナンバーワン右腕とし即先発ローテーション入りを期待も1勝も挙げることができず僅か4年でプロ野球生活の幕を閉じる

After graduating from Shuzenji Technical High School, pitcher Yukio Takemoto helped Nippon Steel Muroran, a professional baseball team, reach the top eight in the Intercity Baseball Tournament in his fifth year. He was also selected for the All-Japan team and helped the team to a runner-up finish in the 4th Intercontinental Cup! He was selected first overall by Lotte in that year's draft, but remained with the team the following year due to the 26th Amateur Baseball World Championship being held in Japan. He pitched well against Cuba in the tournament, earning four wins. Lotte negotiated with him in the fall, but he declined, and he joined Yakult as the first overall draft pick that year. He boasted from his first year, but due to rubella, a bruised left hand, and colitis, he struggled to perform well. However, he pitched 29 innings and still qualified for Rookie of the Year. In his second year, he injured his shoulder and was demoted to the second team. At the time, he had been tweaking his form, which affected the speed of his fastball and allowed him to steal bases freely. Unable to bear watching this, second-team manager Ogawa let him do as he pleased, even reverting his form to his professional days, and he led to five consecutive wins in the second team, raising expectations for his third year. In his third year, he injured his elbow and underwent surgery during the off-season. He had no other options in his fourth year, but he finished with zero wins in five games and retired after just four years. Career stats: 37 games, 0 wins, 5 losses, 4.71 ERA