[Orix] Ryuhei Sotani who will be playing in the Samurai Japan training match, has his first bullpen with a WBC ball. “I don’t think I’ll be able to play (baseball) until the end of the year.” | Pacific League

[Orix] Ryuhei Sotani, who will be playing in the Samurai Japan training match, has his first bullpen with a WBC ball, saying, “It’s amazing that I won’t be able to play (baseball) until the end of the year.”

Sports Hochi

2025.11.1(土) 05:00

On the 31st, Orix Ryuhei Sotani pitcher Ryuhei Soya adjusted his “Hinomaru” uniform. The third-year left-hander, who was selected for the Samurai Japan warm-up game against South Korea (Tokyo Dome) in November, pitch his first bullpen session using the WBC ball at Maishima in Osaka. “I just have to get used to it,” he said, sitting catcher Wakatsuki, who was also selected, as he carefully threw the ball.

He carefully checked the feel of the ball, which is generally considered to be slippery than the NPB ball. “breaking ball were quite hard, but because the ball was smooth, some of them got through. The amount of lateral movement was (small) in terms of numbers,” he said, but stated that his ideal is to gradually adapt to it through practice. “Overseas rules” such as pitch clocks and pitch computers were introduced in this training game. He took a positive attitude, saying, “It’s something that’s found in international competitions. It’s something that’s hard to do in Japan, so I’d like to think of it as a good experience and give it a try.”

The left-handed pitcher, who recorded a career-high eight wins this season, said, “It’s rare to be able to play baseball for this long, right up until the end of the year. I’m not going to enjoy it, but I want to play with a different feeling.” He was looking forward to a head-on battle with a powerful foreign hitter. (Nambu Shunta)

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