When Hyuma Okabe stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth on Thursday, September 11, Japan and the USA were all tied. They were the only undefeated teams in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS, and the game was tied at one. Japan had Takumu Imaoka at third, Yu Yokohama at second, and Shintaro Sakamoto at first base.
“Sakamoto, the batter before me, fouled off a lot of pitches [in a 12-pitch at-bat], and I had the time to look at a lot of pitches,” Okabe commented through an interpreter. “I could also tell that Sakamoto was doing everything he could to keep the offence going. Also, the one run USA had scored came from my own mistake, so I was determined to get it back.”
Okabe looked at two balls and a strike, then drove the ball deep to right field and over the head of the USA outfielders for a bases-clearing double.
Okabe was looking for a fastball. “The breaking ball he threw me before the pitch I eventually hit came in hanging a little, and I could tell that he [USA pitcher Trey Rangel] struggled to throw strikes with his breaking balls. So I decided to sit on his fastball.”
After the Opening Round, Okabe led the tournament in on-base percentage with .684, which means he was getting on base over two times per three at-bats. The WBSC asked the Japanese shortstop how he could be so consistent in getting on base.
“I think my job as the lead-off hitter is to get on base, and to get the offence going. I don’t want to be an easy out, so even after two strikes, I try to foul some balls and make it harder for the pitcher. I want to be that ‘tough batter’ for a pitcher to get out. So I use my head a lot, I try to do all sorts of things, like getting in a bunt stance, or try a safety bunt, etc.”
Japan is the defending U-18 World Champion and the favourite to win the XXXII edition on home soil in the Okinawa Prefecture.
“We were able to bring a win against USA tonight, but we think that we will face them again in the [World Championship] Final. Because of our win [on Thursday], USA will undoubtedly come out even stronger if we play again. I want to focus on each game ahead of us, and if we can make it to the final, we will need to want the win more than our opponent. I want to be able to play our game and win.”
As the captain of the Tsuruga Kehi High School, Okabe participated in the Summer Koshien [the Japanese High School National Championship] 2025. We asked him to tell us how he foresees his baseball future.
“I am going to pursue my baseball career in the [Shakaijin] industrial league, and I am confident I will turn pro three years later.”
AloJapan.com