In baseball at the Tokyo Olympics, Japan defeated Mexico 7-4 in the second round of the qualifying league to win the second straight victory.

I passed Group A in 1st place and advanced to the quarterfinals.


Atsunori Inaba did not give the initiative to the match because of the points he had pursued since he took office four years ago in "mobility and home runs."

Focus on home runs

Director Inaba was watching the battle of the Japanese national softball team on TV during the last training camp in Sendai.



He was convinced that he continued to win by scoring home runs, saying, "There is something similar to baseball. It's hard to win with mobility alone. I think home runs are important in international competitions. After all, speed and power." I was talking about.



“Speed ​​& Power” has been a consistent team-building theme since Director Inaba took office four years ago.

At international competitions, it's hard to hit repeatedly.

That's why I thought that a home run to move the game with a single stroke would be necessary at the Olympics.

In the match against Mexico on the 31st, Tetsuto Yamada's three runs and Hayato Sakamoto's solo seven times were valuable additions to the victory.



After the match, Manager Inaba said, "Home runs are important. Yamada was a good home run that gave courage to the team. Sakamoto also hit a good place."

Full mobility

In addition, the two also showed on the running base.



Yamada decided to steal two bases in this game and continued to shake the opponent's battery.

Sakamoto was a runner on first base and third base in the 3rd inning with a tie.

As soon as I saw the opponent slamming in the pitcher goro, I rushed into the home with head sliding.

It was a winning score.



Director Inaba said with satisfaction, "It was a good decision. I can't make that decision easily. He is well prepared to take the opportunity of the other party."



The speed and power pursued by the commander was fully demonstrated on the stage of the Olympic Games.

What the first place pass brings

This Olympics has not been eliminated in the qualifying league, and is held in a special tournament system in which all teams advance to the final tournament.



However, if you pass the group in the qualifying league in 2nd or 3rd place, August 1st will be the first round of the final tournament without a break.



Depending on the win, the match would continue, and in the most cases, there was a possibility that the match would be organized for 6 consecutive days.



After passing Group A in 1st place, Japan had no match on August 1st and will advance to the quarterfinals on the night of the 2nd.

If you win there, you will have another day to advance to the semi-finals on the night of the 4th.



By passing the 1st place, the final tournament became an advantageous schedule, and Director Inaba said with a bright expression, "It will be cooler in the night game, so it will be a normal feeling." I looked at it.