In the second year of professional baseball Yakult, pitcher Yasunobu Okugawa was picked up in the starting rotation from the opening, and it was decided to start in the third game of the opening on the 28th of this month, which will be held as a memorial match for former manager Katsuya Nomura who died last year. It was.
19-year-old pitcher Okugawa started the open game with Seibu at MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture on the 21st, and took 6 hits in the middle of the 5th inning and 4 strikeouts with 3 runs.
After the match, coach Shingo Takatsu announced that he would start pitcher Okugawa in the third game of the season, the Hanshin Tigers, on the 28th of this month and use it as a part of the starting rotation.
This match will be held as a memorial match for Katsuya Nomura, who was directed by Yakult, Hanshin, and Rakuten and died last February.
Pitcher Okugawa was enthusiastic, saying, "I feel responsible for throwing the ball while I haven't been able to produce results in the open game. I want to do my best to take advantage of the chances I have received."
Director Takatsu said, "I want you to gain experience as a pitcher for one army rotation for one year. When you think about five, ten, and fifteen years after his baseball life, he will enter rotation in the second year. I want to make it a season where I can say that I'm glad I did my best. "
Pitcher Okugawa joined Seiryo High School in Ishikawa last year in 1st place in the draft, and has made his first professional pitch in the final game of last season, aiming for his first professional victory this season.