Seibu professional baseball team's ace pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi entered the bullpen for the first time at a camp held in Miyazaki Prefecture, and got a feel for it by throwing a powerful fastball with the body he had trained through self-training.
Pitcher Takahashi posted a record of 10 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 2.21, second in the league, last season, his third consecutive double-digit victory.
On the 7th, the second day of the first period, he entered the bullpen for the first time in this camp, and while the Japan national team coach Hirokazu Ibata was visiting, the catcher was seated and threw 20 fastballs to check the feel and pitching form. I was there.
Pitcher Takahashi is aiming for a ball speed of 160 km/h, and during his self-training this off-season, he focused on weight training, mainly focusing on his lower body and core, and increased his weight by 7 kg from last year to 112 kg. about it.
Pitcher Takahashi expressed his desire to represent Japan by saying, ``I was nervous because Manager Ibata was there, but I felt good in the bullpen for the first time.I also hope that the day will come when I can carry the Japanese flag on my back.'' Ta.
While he has long wanted to play in the major leagues, he regards this season as a ``year of competition'' and says, ``This year, we have no choice but to win the league and become number one in Japan, and to that end, I want to take off my limiter and do my best.'' I expressed my enthusiasm.
Manager Ibata expressed his expectations, saying, ``Seibu has a lot of good players, including pitchers Takahashi, pitcher Taira, and newcomer pitcher Takeuchi.I want them to do well this year.I'll keep an eye on them, too.''