Yakult Munetaka Murakami, who lined up with the record for the most home runs in a season by a Japanese player in professional baseball, will play the game today (16th) for the first time in three days.
I will give you a quick report on the state of the Sino-Japanese War.
Today's Murakami hit a strong ball in practice before the game
The match is scheduled to start at 6pm at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Nagoya.
Murakami started batting practice around 4:00 pm, hit back the ball thrown by the batting pitcher, and hit the ball over the fence in the outfield one after another.
Chunichi's notice starter and ace pitcher Yudai Ohno this season's record is 3 hits in 8 at bats.
Of these, one home run hit the 50th home run on the 2nd of this month.
All-time home run record
The record for the most home runs in a professional baseball season was 60 hit by Valentin of Yakult in 2013, and the record for the most home runs by a Japanese player was 55 in 1964 by Sadaharu Oh of the Giants.
Mr. Murakami lined up for the first time in 58 years on the 13th of this month.
Among foreign players, Kintetsu's Rose and Seibu's Cabrera also scored 55.
Much attention is being paid to how Murakami will increase the number of home runs in the remaining 15 games, including today.
With Munetaka Murakami, this season he has five home runs in a row
Yakult's Munetaka Murakami is a 22-year-old from Kumamoto City.
He was drafted first in 2018 from Kyushu Gakuin High School.
He had a strong batting record, and in his second year he became a regular regular, hitting 36 home runs and being named Rookie of the Year.
In his third year, he started all games as No. 4 and finished second in the league in both home runs and RBIs, as well as winning the highest on-base percentage title.
Last season, when the team won the league championship and the best in Japan, he participated in all 143 games as No. 4, hit 39 home runs, became the home run king for the first time, and was also selected as the Central League MVP.
This season, he was the undisputed No. 4 player, producing home runs from the start of the season.
As of the 15th, the results of this season are 30%, 3 minutes, 7 minutes, 55 home runs, and 132 RBIs, which are the top league batting averages.
Donate to hometown Kumamoto according to the number of home runs
Murakami experienced the Kumamoto earthquake in 2016 when he was in his second year of high school.
Looking back, he continues to think about the disaster area, saying, "It was such an event that I don't even want to remember it. I want to be an athlete who can help others even if just a little."
From the 2020 season, we are donating to the reconstruction of Kumamoto Castle according to the number of home runs.
In December of last year, the "Kumamoto Dream Creation Award" was presented to individuals who gave Kumamoto citizens a big dream. I think it's good, so I want to be active with good results," he said.
Sponsors also expect a house gift of 100 million yen
Yakult's sponsor, a comprehensive real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced on the 4th of this month that Murakami will present a 100 million yen house if he hits a home run after No. 56 at Jingu Stadium.
Haruka Keiya of the Public Relations Department of the Open House commented on expectations for Murakami to hit No. 56, saying, "I think people who don't know baseball will get a chance to see it. I want them to keep improving their records. I was talking.
If he decides to give him a house, he plans to discuss it with Murakami during the off-season, and is planning to recommend apartments in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Minato, which are easy to go to Jingu Stadium.
Yakult is scheduled to play seven games at Jingu Stadium from the 22nd of this month to the final game on October 3rd, and it will be interesting to see if Murakami will break the record at home and get a 100 million yen house.