Ahead of the fan voting for the professional baseball All-Star Game starting on the 19th, ORIX manager NAKAJIMA Satoshi and Yakult manager TAKATSU Shingo, who lead both leagues, expressed their enthusiasm at the press conference.
The first leg of this year's All-Star Game will be held on 1 July at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Nagoya, and the second leg will be played on 7 July at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima.
Ahead of the fan voting to select the participating players starting on the 19th, coaches Nakajima and Takatsu, who lead both leagues for the second time last year, held a press conference in Tokyo on the 2th.
Coach Nakajima pointed out Lotte pitcher Aki Sasaki as a player to watch in the Pacific League, saying, "Those fastballs and forkballs are very amazing, and I hope they will play against DeNA's Toshiro Miyazaki, who has a batting average of over 4% in the Central League, and Munetaka Murakami of Yakult."
In response, Coach Takatsu encouraged Murakami, who is currently struggling with a batting average of 2/3, saying, "Since he is the Triple Crown Champion, I hope that he will play an active role in a stage that can be called a festival like this, and I hope it will be an opportunity."
Coach Takatsu, who is from Hiroshima, said, "When I was a child, I went to see the All-Star Game held at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, and I remember the scenes where the players who represent the league compete for speed and power. We lost two matches last year, so we want to win two games in a row."
Coach Nakajima was also enthusiastic about the match, saying, "I want to select attractive players and players who have been active in the WBC and have achieved results, and I want to make it a fun, attractive All-Star Game that will please the fans."