Pacific League: Orix 4x-Nippon-Ham (1st, Kyocera Dome Osaka)
Katayama, the 6th pick in the Orix draft, took his first professional win honestly. “Mr. Tomiya hit it and it was ‘Gotsu win’…”. The 2 inning from the 8th inning was held by 2 runs, and finally the captain’s comeback walk-off 3 runs were settled. The commemorative ball was returned by the fans due to Sato’s tact, and he gave him an autographed cap instead.
Although he was not included in the winning relief pitching pattern, he pitched in 10 games. Pitching coach Higa was a great support to him. “Even if your body is tired, your mind must not be tired.” During his playing days, he pitched 418 times, all as a pitcher. As his name suggests, he behaved as if he was “living happily.” On days when he was not on the pitch, Higa was a great senior who would say to him, “I’m sorry, but it’s my job.” His words always carried weight.
He hails from Otofuke, Hokkaido, where the opposing Nippon-Ham is based. He said that the scorching heat in Osaka will not be a problem, saying, “Fortunately, I’ve been able to play at the Dome since June.” Another rookie, Teranishi, ranked second, has already won two games, and Mugiya, ranked first among fielder, is also working hard as a valuable player. Manager Kishida praised him, saying, “He’s been working hard all this time, so I’m glad we were able to win.” His day of shining as a starter, as he hopes, is not far off. (Osada Toru)
◆Katayama Raiku was born on October 7, 2002 in Otofuke, Hokkaido. He is 22 years old. After attending Otofuke Kyoei Junior High School, he played for Shirakaba Gakuen in Hokkaido, where he made it to the semi-finals of the Meiji Jingu Tournament. The 2020 Spring Koshien Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was not selected in the draft that same year. With NTT East, he made it to the semi-finals of the 2022 Intercity Tournament. He joined Orix as the sixth pick in the 2024 draft. He is 177 cm tall and weighs 81 kg. His estimated annual salary this season is 8 million yen.
Related News
・ [Scoreboard] Orix vs. Nippon-Ham
・ [Orix] 8th walk-off win of the season… Tonmiya’s first dramatic hit… Rookie Katayama’s first pro win… Ota, who was absent, also had minor injuries
・ [Orix] Hirotake Ishimoto, a promising two-way boat racer who is also a university student, throws the opening pitch: “I will use this experience to become a strong player in the real world…”
・ [Orix] Ryo Ota will be absent… Some kind of accident? If he is absent, it will be a great pity
・ [Orix] Naruki Teranishi pitched six innings, giving up two runs and defeating Seibu Tatsuya Imai for his second win. “I feel like I’ve taken another step in my growth.”
AloJapan.com