◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 8-6 Rakuten (6th, ES CON FIELD)
Nippon-Ham came from behind to win the match against Rakuten (ESCON) on the 6th and won three consecutive matches on the same card. He tied for the most saves with 14 and maintained the top spot. Kota Tatsu pitcher (21) started the game and gave up 10 hit 5 runs (three earned) in five innings. He was supported by a large runs and walked out of the mound with the lead. In the end, he didn’t get a win, but he continued to go undefeated since his debut. In his last start, he became the first professional baseball player in history to win six games in a row, but the record was not broken until the next time.
After escaping a pinch with a foul fly to the catcher, Tatsuya, who was watching from home base, clapped his hands twice and put both hands on his knees. With a one-run lead in the fifth inning, the team was in a pinch with two outs and a runner on third base. After striking out Kurokawa and earning the right to be winning pitcher, he showed signs of fatigue. “It wasn’t that my control was that bad, I just got hit normally, so I think I just didn’t have enough skill,” he reflected.
The second inning was the one where he was swallowed up in one go. After a mistake by Yuki Kiyomiya, he was hit with three consecutive hits and gave up two runs. Furthermore, he added another run with his own balk. “I also balked for the first time in my life, so I was no good at all.” However, after receiving support from the batting line, he maintained his lead and finished the five innings with 10 hit five runs allowed.
The image of his previous complete game game victory led to his slip-up. “Last time, I was pitching with about 100% of my strength at the end. I went into the game with that feeling. That was a lesson for me.” There were also times on mound when he felt that his habits were exposed. “I hope I can improve that,” he said of his next challenge.
Although they conceded a big runs, the team won and their undefeated streak continued. Manager Shinjo said, “I think it was a good learning experience for Tatsu. It was a good game in the sense that it showed him that the world of professional baseball is not so easy.” Using this bitter first experience as fuel, the team will continue on their winning streak.
(Yamaguchi Yasushi)
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AloJapan.com