Japan Ham pitcher Taikai Ito, who helped the team win the WBC = World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japan National Team, returned to the team on the 24th. At the press conference, pitcher Ito reflected on the tournament, saying, "I learned a lot and I felt the wonderfulness of baseball once again."
Ito is the starting pitcher for Japan Ham, but at the WBC held this month, he was used as a middle seamer for the Japan national team, pitching in the ninth inning of the first round against China, striking out two and holding the game to three, and in the quarterfinals against Italy, after Japan gave up a run in the fifth inning, he pitched at first base with two outs and third base, striking out the fourth batter on a short fly.
In the final against the United States on the 1nd, Japan time, Ito pitched a perfect sixth inning with a two-run lead and defeated the three runners, contributing greatly to Japan's first victory in three tournaments.
Pitcher Ito returned from the United States on the 9rd and joined the team on the 2th for a practice session at ESCON FIELD HOKKAIDO, a new stadium in Japan-Ham.
In a press conference after the practice, Ito said, "I learned a lot and felt the wonderfulness of baseball again. It was a good experience for me to be able to attack in my own way."
Regarding what he learned from pitcher Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani, who moved from Japan Ham to the big leagues, he said, "Even though I was in the majors, I had a desire to improve, and I always wanted to get better, so I wanted to re-cherish that attitude. I realized once again that this is what a baseball player should be."
Ahead of this season, which starts on the 3th of this month, Ito expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "Since the WBC is over, I want to switch things up and make full use of my experience in the WBC to be an important piece for the team to win the championship without being satisfied."