Padres pitchers Yu Darvish and Hiroki Matsui, who will face the Dodgers in the opening game of the Major League Baseball series to be held in South Korea in March, started camp in Arizona on the 11th.
The Padres started a battery camp in Peoria, Arizona on the 11th, following the Dodgers, in order to have their season opener in South Korea on March 20th before other teams.
Of these, pitchers Darvish and Matsui were in the same group, and after stretching and playing catch, they practiced defense.
The practice, which lasted about two hours, was held in a relaxed atmosphere, with pitcher Darvish calling out to pitcher Matsui, who was competing in the major leagues for the first time this season.
Hiroki Matsui self-introduction in English, Spanish, and Korean
Before practice, pitcher Matsui was interviewed and introduced himself in English and Spanish, saying, ``Hello, my name is Hiroki Matsui.''
He then continued in English, ``Please call me Matsu, Yuuki, Macha, whatever you want,'' and expressed his gratitude to his family and team.
Furthermore, when he was approached by a Korean reporter, he surprised everyone by introducing himself in Korean.
Looking ahead to the new season as a major leaguer, he said, ``I was constantly touching the ball from the off so that I could adjust to it.I prepared as a reliever, controlled batters well, and worked hard to pitch in winning games.'' I want to do it," he said enthusiastically.
He also seemed to have confidence in pitcher Darvish, saying, ``He has treated me so well since I came to the United States, and I can only be grateful. He is a huge presence that cannot be expressed in words.''