While the loss was due to an early runs, Rakuten ‘s Michael Franco infielder, who appeared at third base starting line-up in the fifth inning, hit two consecutive Home Run for the second time in his career since Nippon-Ham on July 15, 2011 (ESCON). In the second at bat in the fourth inning, he hit a 136 km/h shot to left center field for a No. 5 solo shot. hitter in the sixth inning, he hit a 126 km/h cutter for a No. 6 solo shot to left field in the first at bat. In both cases, he hit Kato’s first pitch. “I wasn’t aiming for the first pitch, but I was waiting for a pitch that I could hit and catching it hard with the core (of the bat), and that’s how it came out,” he recalled.
His batting average was in the low 20s and he was demoted to the second team on June 12th. He returned to the first team on July 15th and has been consistently hit, with a batting average of .361 since his return, and is currently on a strong eighth consecutive game with hit. Foreign players Gonzalez and Voit joined the team in June. They support and compete with each other, strengthening the team.
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AloJapan.com