[Nippon-Ham] Dora 1 Leo Shibata is the first real two-sport professional starter... Pitching: 1 in 2 hit 4 strike out No runs, Hitting: 4 At Bat 1 hit

「２番・投手兼ＤＨ」で先発した日本ハムの柴田は２回を無失点と好投した

Eastern League Nippon-Ham 1-4 Lotte (16th, Escon)

Nippon-Ham ‘s dual-wielding Dora 1 Leo Shibata pitcher (19) = Fukuoka Ohori = started as a real dual-wielding player of “No. 2 pitcher and DH” against Eastern Lotte held at Escon on the 16th. He made his first professional appearance in pitcher & hitter at the same time. starter is a runs in 2 times 1 hit 4 strike out. It was 4 At Bat 1 hit.

Shibata, who closer the first inning runs, immediately headed to the plate. At the moment of his real dual-wielding debut, his home base, Escon, was boiling. As a starter, he pitched 40 pitches twice with 1 hit and no runs. As for hitter, 4 At Bat 1 hit also suffered 3 struck out. “Today, I clearly know what it feels like, and I’m looking forward to seeing how I will level up.” After the game, the 19-year-old looked ahead with confidence.

This was his first time pitching and batting at the same time since becoming a professional. One thing he mentioned as an issue was switching to hitter. “I felt like I didn’t have much time,” he said, noting that after pitch the first inning, it took him a while to step up to the plate, as he had to change into lighter, more maneuverable fielder ‘s spike on the bench. “I did it in a hurry. There were some areas where I wasn’t prepared enough, so I’m thinking about what to do in the future. I want to find out how to spend my time and prepare when the roles change (offense and defense),” he said, gaining a lot from his first experience.

In the meantime, he threw the fastest fastball, such as struck out to finish off Kakunaka, who had won the lead hitter twice, with a swing and a mark of 151 km. 4 strike out recorded. “We increased the number of pitches with change-up and fork, and the batters reacted well,” he said. He showed signs of further evolution from his first team debut on July 26 (vs. Lotte Escon), which was a complete pitch in the third inning.

Inaba, the second-team manager, expressed his hopes for Shohei Ohtani’s future dual talent, saying, “I hope he can understand at least a little of the difficulty of doing this in his first year after graduating from high school and make the connection.” The 19-year-old, who is following in the footsteps of former team member Ohtani of the Dodgers, has entered a new stage. (Haruki Kawakami)