Masanori Ishikawa, 42-year-old pitcher, the oldest professional baseball and Yakult team, became the winning pitcher in the Hanshin Tigers match held at Jingu Baseball Stadium on the night of the 23rd, becoming a white star for the 21st consecutive year since he became a professional.
Pitcher Ishikawa has been a white star every year since he joined the team from 2002 to last season, but this season when he was 42 years old, he started two games so far and both were losing pitchers.
On the night of the 23rd, pitcher Ishikawa started the game against the Hanshin Tigers at his home base, Jingu Baseball Stadium, and suddenly invited a one-out bases loaded pinch. For Dan Onodera, he threw a 131-kilometer straight to fill the lower corners of the in-course and stole the missed strikeout, and survived without any runs.
Although he is 1 meter and 67 centimeters tall and small for a professional baseball player, his left arm, who has fought with a variety of fastballs on a straight of 130 kilograms under his own control, received a one-point lead in this game as well. In the midst of a numbing development, he defended the lead of 1 point by taking 6 strikeouts and no runs in the 6th inning without focusing on the Hanshin Tigers, and got the right of the winning pitcher to get off the mound.
Yakult won 1-0 with no runs for the three relief pitchers, and Ishikawa won his first victory of the season and became a white star for the 21st consecutive year since he became a professional.
Pitcher Ishikawa said with a relieved expression, "I was trying to get the minimum goal. I'm glad I was able to deliver the winning ball to my family, who is my biggest fan."
In addition, it was Nori Aoki, 40, who hit the solo home run, which was the final point in this match.
Aoki, who says that pitcher Ishikawa and the locker are next to each other, said with a smile, "I did my best for Mr. Ishikawa because he couldn't win easily. I'm in his 40s, so I'm encouraging each other."