Baseball is finally back on the Olympic stage for the first time in 13 years.
Japan, aiming for the long-sought gold medal, will face the Dominican Republic in the first match of the qualifying league in Fukushima on the 28th.
From the last training camp held in Sendai for a week, we can see three points that divide the game.
Can the condition of the striking line be raised?
Some of the players who play a central role in the batting line said that batting was not good during the training camp.
Giants Hayato Sakamoto said, "I wasn't feeling well, but I want to play in a good condition," said Munetaka Murakami of Yakult, who had a batting average of 10% since the beginning of July. I'm in a bad condition, so I'd like to raise it according to the tournament. "
Both of them sought to get a chance to recover by swinging a bat after the whole practice, and hit two hits together in the warm-up game.
In addition, Yuki Yanagita of Softbank hurt his right flank in the All-Star game on the 17th of this month, and he forgot to practice batting in earnest during the training camp.
Although he made a timely hit in the starting lineup on the 25th, which was the final actual battle, he didn't seem to be in a good condition, saying, "I feel like I haven't done it at all."
The power of the hitting line changes greatly depending on whether Yanagita, who has a long hitting power, can exert his original power.
Thirteen fielders were selected this time.
At the Olympics, it is not possible to change players flexibly depending on the condition.
Furthermore, there are only 11 days from the first match to the final.
Seiya Suzuki, the main player, says, "Because it is a short-term decisive battle, it is best to switch between one at bat and one at bat without worrying about it, even if there are no hits."
While Director Atsunori Inaba predicts that "it will be difficult to score points in international competitions," how much each individual can improve is directly linked to their scoring ability.
Adaptation to the tournament ball
At the Olympics, we use balls made by Japanese manufacturers, which are different from the unified balls of professional baseball.
While some pitchers said, "I don't care about the difference," some pitchers felt the difference in feel and ball muscles.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Orix, who is expected to be the center of the pitcher team, said, "The feeling of the changing ball is a little different. Since the amount of change also changes, there was little missed swing. I need to get used to the ball more." Iwasaki of Hanshin Yuu pitcher also said, "The ball is different from the way I expected it to bend, so I want to fix it before the actual performance."
Koyo Aoyagi, the same pitcher of the Hanshin Tigers, said, "The ball was a little slippery, the two seams had a lot of bends, and the slider was a little out of place."
Kodai Senga, a pitcher of Softbank who also scored two goals in the second inning, said, "I have the impression that it is a little light and it is difficult to find the core of the ball.
The pitchers will have to deal with the balls used in the tournament and how to assemble the pitching according to the difference.
Can you build a solid relief system?
The two qualifying league games in Japan are expected to start at noon and the heat is expected to be severe.
Due to the tension peculiar to the Olympics, it is difficult for the starting pitcher to throw a long inning, and an early succession is expected.
Two years ago, at the international tournament "Premier 12", we were able to establish a solid relief team at the end of the game, which led to the victory.
The 8th and 9th Olympics are expected to be played by Seibu's 21-year-old pitcher Kaima Taira and Hiroshima's rookie and 24-year-old pitcher Ryoji Kuribayashi.
Pitcher Taira was selected as the Japanese national team for the first time, with 39 games since the opening and Kuribayashi having no goals in 22 consecutive games since the opening, leaving results in the first half of the season.
In the warm-up game, both of them showed a good finish with one inning and three people retired.
Furthermore, in addition to pitcher Iwasaki who specializes in relief and pitcher Yasuaki Yamazaki of DeNA, pitchers Aoyagi and Chiga, who are the starting pitchers in the team, and rookie Hiromi Itoh of Nippon-Ham are expected to be the relays.
The point is whether Director Inaba can make the best use of Japan's greatest strength, "pitcher power," by taking a succession plan according to the situation.
To the first match
The opponent of the first match, the Dominican Republic, is composed of players who have experience in the major leagues and players who play in the minor leagues, and the batting line is strong.
36-year-old Melky Cabrera has 1962 hits in the major leagues, and 40-year-old Jose Botista has won two home runs in the major leagues, hitting a total of 344 home runs.
From the end of May to June, the team fought the Americas qualifying and the final qualifying, and there is also the momentum to win the Olympic qualification at the end.
Manager Inaba called out to all the players, "There are players who can look at each country. It is not so easy to win a gold medal. Let's unite and fight as one."
What kind of battle will the 24 elite representatives of Japanese professional baseball show on the stage of the Olympic Games?