Hanshin, a professional baseball team, played against Chunichi in an exhibition game, and pitcher Hidetaka Okadome, a third-year pitcher, pitched well and pitched perfectly in the first inning, making a big showing for the team's entry into the opening team.
On the 25th, Hanshin played against Chunichi in an open game held in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture.
Pitcher Okadome, who is from his hometown of Okinawa, pitched as the 6th pitcher in the 8th inning
. He struck out the first pitcher with a forkball
. He hit the second pitcher with a powerful fastball
and a short fly ball. The third pitcher missed with a sharp slider and got a strikeout.
He showed perfect pitching, pitching only 11 pitches in one inning.
Pitcher Okadome started last season's camp with the 1st team, but was unable to control himself in the practice match and was demoted to the 2nd team camp the next day, much to his frustration.
He is now pitching with confidence and has continued to pitch well, with no runs allowed in the four games he has played so far.
After the game, manager Akifu Okada gave his approval, saying, ``It's amazing how much they've changed from the way they looked a year ago.If they held back this much, there was no way they could use them anymore.''
Pitcher Okadome, who has set a goal of pitching in 50 or more games this season, is enthusiastic about contributing to the team's first consecutive victory in history, saying, ``I'm glad I was able to pitch well and get the ball when it came time to count, so I was able to do what I wanted to do. I'm continuing to do what I've been working on since this off-season.I'll continue to play open matches, so I hope I can overcome any issues I have to overcome."
On the other hand, the team's batting lineup continued to be poor on the 25th, and they lost 1-4, resulting in their third straight loss since the opening match.