Nippon-Ham Ham Fighters manager Shinjo asks No. 4 pick Kotaro Kiyomiya to "get about 5 hit At Bat 4 at-bats" in the CS! Also, "60 pitches per hitter" strategy

Nippon-Ham Ham Fighters manager Shinjo asks No. 4 pick Kotaro Kiyomiya to “get about 5 hit At Bat 4 at-bats” in the CS! Also, “60 pitches per hitter” strategy

Sports Hochi

2025.10.11(土) 06:30

記者会見でポーズをとる（左から）若月、岸田監督、新庄監督、清宮幸太郎（カメラ・池内　雅彦）

The first stage of the 2025 Persol Climax Series Pacific League begins on the 11th at the Ace Con. Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (53) of the second-place Nippon-Ham Fighters, who are training at home, announced on the 10th that he will use a waiting game strategy to counter Orix Shumpeita Yamashita pitcher Shunpei Yamashita (23), saying, “I’ll make hitter throw 60 pitches in one go.” He also made a surprise nomination of Yuki Kiyomiya, who was also present at the press conference, as the fourth batter.

Shinjo’s world was in full swing from the day before the opening game. At the press conference the day before the CS, when Orix manager Kishida told him that hitter would be starting in the first game, he announced a “wait and see” strategy to counter the right-handed pitcher, whose fastest pitch is 161 km/h, saying, “I’ll have him throw about 60 pitches in one go (to the batter).” In last season’s first CS game, he also told Lotte’s Sasaki, “I want him to throw 200 pitches by the fifth inning,” and envisioned beating the powerful arm with his signature “stingy baseball.”

It’s a clever strategy that only comes from acknowledging his ability. The manager asked Kiyomiya Yuki, who was also present, “Is he better than Sasaki?” Hearing Kiyomiya’s answer, “His fastball is one of a kind. The quality is different,” he replied, “He’s amazing to watch. I want to support him because we’re both from Fukuoka.” He cheered on his opponent, making him laugh.

He has also completed a rehearsal. Last season, on August 18th, against Orix (Kyocera Dome), he faced Yamashita, who didn’t swing at 20 consecutive pitches, starting with the first batter in the first inning. In the second inning, he walked two Walk, hit a bunt, and scored the first run with sacrifice fly, forcing hitter to throw 40 pitches in a single turn, eventually taking him out in the fifth inning. He visualized, “I need to take care of my batting eye and let the balls slip by. The key is walk.”

The manager’s “fierce tone” is unstoppable. He surprisingly named Yuki Kiyomiya as the No. 4 batter, saying, “He’s in top form right now.” He’s only started in three games as the No. 4 batter this season, but he expects a batting average of over 100, saying, “I want him to get about five hit in four At Bat tomorrow.” He also poked fun at defense, which has committed 14 errors, the most in both leagues this season, saying, “I hope first baseman balls to first base don’t fly too far.” Even so, he added a surprising prediction: “He’ll hit after he makes an error.”

This season, the team’s record against Orix is 12 wins, 12 losses, and 1 draw. “The first game is 8-7, either team will win. The second game is 4-3, either team will win. The most important thing is that the fans have fun playing the game, rather than winning or losing.” Led by manager Shinjo, who is fired up on the biggest stage, the battle to become number one in Japan begins. (Kawakami Haruki)