A send-off match between the Japan national team and Chunichi for the baseball WBC (World Baseball Classic) was held in Nagoya on the 4th, and the Japanese national team won 4-1.
The Japan national team, aiming to win the WBC for the first time in three tournaments, played a send-off match against Chunichi at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Nagoya on the 3rd and 4th.
On the 4th, pitcher Aki Sasaki, who started the pitcher, had a hit and a four-ball at the start of the game, and he was in a pinch with 2 outs on 1st base and 3rd base.
Pitcher Sasaki threw three innings and scored no runs.
In the 4th inning, with a 1-point lead, Daiya Miyagi, who pitched as the second pitcher, hit a solo home run to equalize the score, but from the 6th inning, Hiroto Takahashi, the third pitcher, followed by Taikai Ito. The pitchers did not allow a score by pitching well with two scoreless innings.
The batting line was 1-1 in the 7th inning, and No. 5 Kazuma Okamoto hit a solo home run to win the match.
Despite winning the game, the Japanese national team's batting lineup continues to lack momentum, and it will be interesting to see how much each player can recover through two warm-up games before the first match of the WBC on the 9th of this month. will be
Sasaki “I want to focus on results rather than content.”
Starting pitcher Aki Sasaki reflected, "The ball I threw wasn't that bad, but I think a small error in form caused the variation in the ball."
Regarding his record of 165 km in one inning, which is his fastest, he said, "I don't think there's much difference between 164 km and 165 km, and today's content wasn't good, so I'm more concerned about that than the speed of the ball. I will,” he accepted calmly.
And since this is the last pitch for the tournament, which will be held on the 9th of this month, he decided, "I was able to come this far without injury. Winning is important, so I want to focus on the result rather than the content." was renewed.
Okamoto: “I’m glad I was able to stop him with one shot.”
Kazuma Okamoto, who hit the game-winning home run after catching the first pitch in the 7th inning, said, "I'm glad that I was able to finish the game with one shot, but there's still a lot to be done in the game, so I want to prepare well." rice field.
Also, regarding the fact that he started as No. 5 in the two send-off games against Chunichi, he said, "No matter what the batting order is, what I do will not change. If I have to play in the remaining warm-up games, I will play my role firmly. I want to be able to do it," he said, tightening his mind.
Manager Kuriyama "I have to do it with the feeling that the official game has started"
Hideki Kuriyama, manager of the Japanese national team, said about the four pitchers who pitched on the 4th, including the starting pitcher, Aki Sasaki, "I think I was really feeling the response while pitching, and I felt that it was just a fine adjustment. I think it was good that the ball was strong," he said.
Regarding the batting lineup, he said, "There are so many batters, and even watching practice, I could feel that they had changed a lot, so I'm looking forward to believing in them."
As for the future, he enthusiastically said, "Tomorrow, we'll play two games and then move on to the real thing, so we have to play as if the official game has started. I was there.
Regarding Shohei Ohtani, who took the free batting before the match, he said, "I feel like there won't be any problems. I think he will be in good shape in the two games before the actual performance."
Roki Sasaki is the fastest Japanese player at 165km WBC send-off match alongside Shohei Otani
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