He Quit His Corporate Job and Signed with the Cubs! Former Advertising Salesman Kippei Mikawa Gives an Exclusive Interview: “My Stats on Social Media Led Me to Take on the Challenge of the Majors”

His ERA in college was 40.50

“I’ve finally reached the starting line,”

These are the words of pitcher Kippei Mikawa (24), who signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs by June 1. Mikawa is a former office worker who handled advertising sales at the IT company CyberAgent. We’d like to share his own account of his unusual journey—leaving his corporate job to pursue a shot at the majors.

After graduating from junior high school in his hometown of Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Mikawa went on to Kasukabe Kyoei High School, a powerhouse in Saitama Prefecture. As a promising right-hander with a top speed of 149 km/h, he joined the Rikkyo University baseball team.

“Because I was nearly 190 cm tall and could throw the ball faster than most, people kept telling me from the start that I had ‘high potential.’ But I didn’t know how to put that talent to use in games… I was so fixated on throwing strikes that my form gradually fell apart. I had completely lost sight of the correct way to pitch.”

His final appearance in college came during his senior year in the Tokyo Six Universities Autumn League against the University of Tokyo. However, he failed to record a single out and gave up five runs. His career stats at Rikkyo consisted of a 40.50 ERA over three games.

“I’m not the type to get too down, but I really felt ‘sorry’ toward the team, and it was frustrating. On the other hand, I also felt a sense of relief. I thought, ‘That’s it for baseball. If I can’t make it as a pro, I’ll just give it up.’”

At a ryokan all by myself…

After stepping away from baseball, Mikawa began his job search. He received a job offer from CyberAgent (hereinafter “Cyber”). At the company, he frequently had opportunities to present his career vision.

“I was at a loss. I enjoyed my work and was blessed with great colleagues, but I couldn’t come up with any goals for myself as a working professional. One day, I decided, ‘I’m going to think deeply about what I really want to do,’ so I stayed alone at a ryokan in Atami (Shizuoka Prefecture). I shut myself in my room and wrote down my entire life story in a notebook… That’s when I realized, once again, that baseball was the only thing for me.”

Just then, I received a LINE message asking, “How have you been since then?” It was from Yusuke Kitagawa, the representative of “DIMENSIONING” (hereinafter “DIME”), a baseball-specialized gym where I had trained during my college days. It was November 2025, a little over half a year after I had joined Cyber.

“That message from Mr. Kitagawa was the catalyst. When I went to ‘DIME’ to pitch for the first time in a long while, I hit about 147 km/h. I felt a sense of confidence that if I gave it another shot, I could aim for the ‘top.’ Spurred on by Mr. Kitagawa’s words—‘Yoshihira can make it to the majors’—I decided to pursue a career in baseball once again.I left Cyber, the company that had been so supportive of me, this past March.”

Mikawa signed with *DIME* and resumed full-scale training.

“*DIME* shared my information with Major League officials via social media. Then, my training videos and TrackMan data—a system that highly accurately measures a ball’s trajectory and spin rate—caught the eye of a Cubs scout. I met with the Cubs scouts.They explained the areas I need to work on and my development plan, which helped me visualize a concrete path forward. I’ve signed a contract now, but the real challenge begins from here.”

The dream challenge of the “former office worker turned Major Leaguer” has only just begun.

In the July 10 issue of *FRIDAY*, on sale June 25, and the paid version *FRIDAY GOLD*, he reveals the specifics of his work at Cyber and his training regimen since leaving his corporate job. The issue also features numerous exclusive photos, including scenes from his time as a corporate employee and his training sessions for *DIME*.

Click here to view the full article and more photos↓

From the July 10, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*