``There is a chemical change in the team.''



Manager Hideki Kuriyama said at a press conference immediately after passing Group B of the WBC = World Baseball Classic in baseball with 1st place in all 4 games and deciding to advance to the quarterfinals. I replied:



What does it mean when you aim to become the world's number one for the first time in three tournaments?


(Ryudai Kanazawa, Reporter, Sports News Department)

"Chemical change"



Especially in the batting team, it was the three major league players who created it.



We will look at the total results after finishing the 4 matches of the first round.

No. 1 Nutvar has a batting average of 40%, 2 minutes, 9 rins and 3 RBIs.



The “peppermill performance”, which mimics the movement of turning a pepper grinder, is spreading to the team, with his hands stacked up and down after hitting a hit.

No. 3 Shohei Ohtani has a batting average of 50%, 1 home run, and 8 RBIs.



In the match against Australia on the 12th, which decided to advance to the quarterfinals, he hit the first three-run home run in the first inning.

No. 5 Masanao Yoshida has a batting average of 40%, 1 minute, 7 minutes and 8 RBIs.



He is a source of scoring for the team with his competitive batting.

The three players who have performed as expected have become the core of the batting lineup and are giving momentum to the team.

Kensuke Kondo, who will be number two in all the games in the first round, said, "The number one player, Nootva, looks at the ball and lets the pitcher throw the number of pitches, so it's easy to prepare. Because Ohtani was there, I was able to respond to the ball that came softly when the opponent thought, 'I want to win,'" testifying that it has brought a connection to the batting lineup.

In addition, Otani, who started in the first match against China with his two-way pitching and batting style, has good defense from Nutvar, who is also the team's mood maker, and Yoshida's competitive strength is not only in the batting line, but also in the short-term decisive battle. It also leads to increasing the cohesion necessary for the fighting team.

On the bench, he was seen actively exchanging words and advice with professional baseball players, and Director Kuriyama said, "We are working to help each other and strengthen the team. We have played these four games. , a chemical change is definitely happening."

Under these circumstances, Tetsuto Yamada and Hodaka Yamakawa, who had been out of form throughout the first round, are gradually coming back to hits, but Munetaka Murakami, who sits in No. 4, has a difficult batting average with a batting average of 10% so far and no slugging. continues.

If you lose, it's over. Considering the battle after the quarterfinals, which is a one-shot game, the slugging power is indispensable.



Using the “chemical change” that is occurring within the team as the main cause of concern may be an important piece for Japan, who is aiming to regain the world title for the first time in three tournaments.



Japan's quarterfinals will be held at the Tokyo Dome on the 16th of this month, and they will face Italy, who finished second in Group A.

What kind of team is "Italy"?

Japan will play in the quarterfinals on the 16th

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