Japan National Baseball National Team wins warm-up game against European National Team

On the night of the 6th, the Japanese baseball team played a warm-up game against the European team in preparation for an international tournament this November, and won 5-0.

The Japanese national baseball team played a warm-up game at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka as part of their preparation for the Premier 12, an international tournament to be held in November this year, and manager Hirokazu Ibata played his first game leading the top team. have become.

Players from Italy and the Czech Republic, who played against Japan at last year's WBC = World Baseball Classic, were selected to represent Europe.

In the first inning, Yakult's Munetaka Murakami, who entered from second and third base with one out, hit a timely hit to right field, giving Japan a two-run lead.

In the 5th inning, No. 3 Softbank's Kensuke Kondo hit a timely two-base hit to right field from 1st and 2nd base with 1 out and added 2 points.

Coach Ibata places emphasis on development, so four university students were selected for the national team, and in the 6th inning, Fumiyo Nishikawa of Aoyama Gakuin University, who came on as a substitute, moved to the left field line with a chance of two outs and first and second base. He hit a timely two-base hit and added one point.

As for the pitching, Orix's pitcher Daiya Miyagi, who was the second pitcher on the pitch, showed perfect pitching without allowing a single runner in the second inning, and fellow Orix pitcher Shunpei Yamashita, who was on the national team for the first time. The Japanese national team won 5-0 with a relay of six pitchers, including a fastball with a speed of 159km/h and a scoreless second inning.

On the other hand, the team announced that Meiji University's Rui Soyama, who is attracting attention as a centerpiece of this fall's draft meeting among the selected university players, has been diagnosed with a fracture of his right shoulder blade.

Soyama was reportedly hit by a dead ball near his back during a match between Meiji University and an adult team that was held before the national team joined together.

A warm-up match against the European national team will be held on the 7th.

Munetaka Murakami: “Carrying the Japanese flag on your back is something special.”

Munetaka Murakami, who started as the No. 4 designated hitter and hit a timely hit to take the lead in the first inning with one out and runners on second and third base, said, ``I thought it was important to get in the first inning. I was conscious of that, but I'm glad we were able to take the lead in a timely fashion. Carrying the Japanese flag on your back is a special thing that makes you feel tense, and we were able to play the game with a good sense of tension."

Aoyama Gakuin University's Fumiaki Nishikawa "It will lead to my future baseball life"

Aoyama Gakuin University's Shijo Nishikawa, who appeared as a pinch runner in the 5th inning and in his first at-bat of the 6th inning, took a full swing at the first pitch and hit a timely two-base hit, resulting in 2 hits and 1 RBI from Aoyama Gakuin University. I was able to hit it. It felt good," he said.

Regarding playing with professional players in front of a large crowd of fans, he said, ``I was able to experience something that I had not been able to do before, which will lead to my future baseball career. I was able to exert more power," he said.

After that, he said with enthusiasm, ``If I get a chance to play tomorrow, I want to do my best.''

Shunpei Yamashita ``I think the ball speed will increase even more''

Orix pitcher Shunpei Yamashita, who was selected for the national team for the first time, pitched well, allowing only one hit and no runs in two innings, saying, ``The ball itself was a little inconsistent, but I'm glad I was able to keep it to zero points.It was fun.'' I looked back at pitching on the mound at home.

Regarding his fastball speed of 159 km, which is just 1 km away from tying his personal fastest speed at this time before the start of the season, he said, ``I think I got a surprising amount of ball speed, but I think I'll get more. I want to train hard.'' I was there.

Regarding his thoughts on the ``Premier 12'', an international tournament to be held in November, he said, ``Of course I want to play, but you will be selected after achieving results for a year.I will concentrate on the season, achieve results, and compete in the tournament.'' "If I get thrown," he said.

Coach Ibata: ``Nishikawa is no ordinary college student.''

Manager Hirokazu Ibata said in the post-game press conference, ``We were able to take the lead in the first inning, and we were able to play the game well. Murakami, the No. 4 player, did a good job when we needed one point,'' giving them the lead by two points. Looking back, he said he was able to turn the tide with one attack.

Regarding Aoyama Gakuin University's Nishikawa, who came on as a substitute and had two hits in two at bats, including a timely two-base hit, he said, ``Even though I was nervous, I was swinging from the first swing, and it didn't result in a foul and I was able to fly it forward. "I thought he was no ordinary university student," he said.

Regarding pitcher Yamashita's pitching, which centered on his fastest fastball of 159km and gave up two innings, he said, ``During this period, he was pitching close to 160km, and he should be able to improve even more.The Premier 12 in November and beyond I think he is a player who can play a central role in the WBC as well.''

On the other hand, regarding Meiji University player Soyama, who was found to have fractured his right shoulder blade, he said, ``He was injured from a dead ball and his condition did not improve even during yesterday's practice, so he went to the hospital. I decided to have him stay on the team because I wanted him to absorb some good things from him."