"My goal has always been to get into the opening rotation." Hiroto Monbetsu, a 19-year-old left-handed pitcher who Hanshin's manager Akifu Okada has high hopes for as a new addition to the team, successfully promoted himself by striking out Japan's No. 1 member in the match against the Red and White.
On the 11th, Hanshin entered camp and played their first actual match against Kouhaku.
In order to understand the psychology of the players, Manager Okada adopted a unique method of determining the batting order for both teams using a ``candidate system,'' and asked the players who visited the breakfast venue on the 10th to request their desired batting order.
As a result, Teruaki Sato, who mainly played No. 5 last season, was placed at No. 1, and Takumu Nakano, who mainly played No. 2, was placed at No. 4, making for an order that is unlikely to be seen in official games. .
Among these, it was pitcher Monbetsu who appealed.
He is a 19-year-old who joined the team in second place in the draft last year, and Coach Okada has high expectations for him as a new addition to the team this season.He started on the 11th with the theme of pushing forward with his characteristic fastballs.
He pitched well, striking out Nakano, who had the most hits last season, and Seiya Kinami, who was selected as one of the top nine players, with a powerful fastball of 148km/h, and he limited the second inning to just one point due to a defensive error. Ta.
Pitcher Monbetsu looked back on the past 10 days of his first first-team camp, saying, ``I'm spending every day to the fullest.''
We will continue to promote our efforts to win consecutive championships for the first time in team history.
Pitcher Monbetsu said, ``I think I was able to pitch in my own way.I want to steadily improve my fastball strength before the season starts.My goal has always been to get into the opening rotation, so the first thing I want to do is get into that rotation. I want to be the best. I want to aim for 10 wins," he said of his determination.