Professional baseball team DeNA's camp in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture is on the second day of the third season. Last season, pitcher Kentaro Taira, who returned for the first time in two years after surgery on his right elbow, took the mound in practice, and was impressed by his ability to hit well.
Pitcher Taira, 28 years old and in his 11th year as a professional pitcher, returned to the first team last season for the first time in two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair the ligaments in his right elbow that he suffered in 2021, and pitched in 11 games as a starter. He had a record of 4 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 3.49.
Pitcher Taira, who is aiming for a place in the starting rotation, pitched to a batter for the first time this season on the 11th, the second day of the third season, in an actual seat batting session.
Pitcher Taira, who said he was conscious of throwing all types of pitches carefully, threw 23 pitches to four batters, and with good control, such as getting a missed strikeout with a long fastball, he did not allow a hit.
Additionally, in his match against Keita Sano, who has held the title of leading batter and most hits, he was able to hit the ball with a sinker that falls vertically, which he has been working on since this season.
Pitcher Taira said, ``It was difficult to drop the sinker vertically, but it went well, and Sano also told me that it was good, so I want to improve it even more.''
Additionally, Ryoto Matsumoto, a rookie pitcher who joined the team in second place in the draft and is known for his side throws and fastball pitches with a maximum speed of 153km/h, faced a batter for the first time since becoming a professional.
Pitcher Matsumoto, who is 1 meter 85 cm tall and weighs 88 kg, throws a powerful ball from the side throw as if bending his large body, and against 6 batters, he hits only one hit, and his fastest speed is 149 kg. I demonstrated it.
Pitcher Matsumoto said, ``I was conscious of throwing the ball into the strike zone, and I'm glad that I was able to do it well.I want to continue this feeling and throw powerful balls in actual matches.''