At the training camp of the Japanese national team for the WBC (World Baseball Classic) of baseball, Kazuma Okamoto, who is defending third in the Giants, practiced left field in earnest and prepared multiple positions for the tournament. We are preparing to protect it.

The Japanese national baseball team held a training camp at the Prefectural General Sports Park in Miyazaki City, and on the 22nd, the fielders practiced defensively assuming that there were runners.



Manager Hideki Kuriyama wants fielders to be able to defend multiple positions, and Okamoto, who has defended the third position in the Giants and has won the Golden Glove Award twice, is also practicing left field.



The last time Okamoto played left field in an official professional baseball game was in 2019, and he has moved away from actual games. In addition, I checked the defensive position according to the situation and the covering to the infield.



Okamoto, who practiced the outfield at the Giants' camp, said, "I don't know what's going to happen in the tournament, so I'm practicing with the idea that I should be able to defend as many positions as possible. I want to go," he said.



Coach Kuriyama also said, ``I thought there was no problem after watching his play, and I was able to confirm that he is a player with a wide range of choices.''



On the other hand, Yakult pitcher Keiji Takahashi received a lecture from Padres pitcher Yu Darvish on how to grip a slider that bends slightly, and was seen trying it out with a catch ball.



Pitcher Darvish also asked pitcher Takahashi about his changeup grip and gave him some advice.



Pitcher Takahashi said, "Pitcher Darvish asked me, 'How do you hold it?' For that reason, I want to learn and absorb as much as possible now," he said with a smile.

Pitcher decided to pitch in the send-off game on the 25th and 26th of this month

The pitchers for the Japan national team's send-off games to be held in Miyazaki City on the 25th and 26th of this month for the WBC have been decided.

The Japan national team will face Softbank in a send-off match.



[Pitchers who will pitch on the 25th]


▽Starting pitcher: Roki Sasaki of Lotte


▽Second pitcher: Shota Imanaga of DeNA


▽Third pitcher: Daikai Ito of Nippon Ham


▽Fourth pitcher: Daiya Miyagi of Orix


▽Fifth pitcher : Pitcher Shosei Togo of the Giants


▽ 6th pitcher: Pitcher Yuki Udagawa of Orix


On this day, after the game, we are supposed to practice the "tie-break method" that will be held from the 10th extra inning at the tournament, and Chunichi. Pitcher Hiroto Takahashi will pitch.



[Pitchers to pitch on the 26th]


▽Starting pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto of ORIX

▽


2nd pitcher: Keiji Takahashi of Yakult


▽3rd pitcher: Hiroki Matsui of Rakuten


▽4th pitcher: Kyo Yuasa of

Hanshin Pitcher and Ryoji Kuribayashi from Hiroshima will follow.

On the other hand, players belonging to the major leagues cannot participate in foreign games until the 5th of next month, so Padres pitcher Yu Darvish will not pitch.