Pitcher Kenta Kozono, the 1st place draft rookie of professional baseball DeNA, pitched for the first time as a professional in the 2nd army, pitched 1 inning and got off to a good start with no runs.
Pitcher Kozono, who joined the team in first place in the draft from Wakayama Municipal High School, has been making adjustments in the second army so far, and pitched from the 7th inning of the Eastern League Rakuten match held in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture on the 4th.
Pitcher Kozono marked the fastest 147 km on the day with the first pitch to the first batter, pushed in with a 145 km straight on the fifth pitch, and hit a light fly.
Kozono continued with Rakuten's 1st place draft rookie, Soji Yoshino, who also hit a straight fly with a right fly, and the third pitcher hit a breaking ball that dropped 136 kilograms on the fifth pitch after driving in, making it the first grounder and making the first inning. I threw 11 balls and got off to a great start with no runs.
Looking back on his first pitch, Kozono said, "I was nervous until I got on the mound, but once I started pitching, I enjoyed playing against the batter. There were some tough parts, but I think I was well organized."
And he was enthusiastic, saying, "As the number of innings increases, I will do my best to be able to do the work I have been entrusted with, and I want to do my best so that I can pitch at the packed Yokohama Stadium."