The professional baseball game, Yakult vs. Hanshin, was held in Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture, with Yakult pitcher Masanori Ishikawa, the oldest player in baseball at 44 years old, and Hanshin, who won the Central League MVP (Most Valuable Player) and Rookie of the Year last season. Both starting pitchers, Shoki Murakami, showed stable pitching.
Yakult 1-0 Hanshin (Urasoe, Okinawa)
This was Yakult's first exhibition game, and pitcher Ishikawa, the oldest pitcher in baseball at 44 years old, who is aiming to be a part of the starting lineup, started and pitched at a good tempo with strikes leading, throwing 22 pitches in two innings and not allowing a hit. He pitched well with no strikeouts and no runs.
In addition, Norichika Aoki, the oldest fielder in baseball at 42 years old, started as the ``number 2 right fielder'' and had 1 hit in 2 at bats, including a hit that led to the first run in the first at-bat of the 1st inning. made a diving catch in an unfamiliar right field position, and Yakult's two veterans in their 40s showed off their energy.
On the other hand, Hanshin pitcher Murakami, who won the league MVP and Rookie of the Year last season, started and allowed three hits in the first inning and lost one point, but after that he recovered and did not allow a hit, and in the third inning. He showed stable pitching, throwing 43 pitches and allowing one run.
In the game, Yakult's six pitchers held the Hanshin batting lineup to just one hit, resulting in a 1-0 win.
Masanori Ishikawa ``I want to throw desperately''
Masanori Ishikawa, the 44-year-old pitcher for Yakult, who pitched two innings without allowing a hit and keeping the ball scoreless, said that most of his fastball speeds are in the 120km/h range according to the signs at the stadium, ``The pitch is slow, but I can control it by timing and when to throw.'' That's why I was glad that I was able to throw the basic straight ball well with strikes first,'' he said, looking back on his first pitch in an exhibition game.
On top of that, he said, ``I think it's important to be a starter to be able to create a game even when I'm not in the best condition, so I want to pitch as hard as I can, game by game.''He looked toward his future pitching as a veteran.
When asked about Norichika Aoki, who is 2 years younger than him and started as the ``number 2 right fielder'' and showed vigor both offensively and defensively, he answered, ``Once he got into the groove, he got into it and was batting well, so I was with him.'' "I thought it was fun to play baseball," he said, looking a little embarrassed.