Lotte's Misho Nishikawa reached the required number of at-bats after the game against Rakuten on September 30th, and is ranked 6th in Pacific League batting average rankings. He has 6 at-bats left until he reaches the required number of at-bats for the season, and with only 2 games left for Lotte, it looks like he will be able to reach the required number of at-bats if he is not injured.

Nishikawa is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, but he has hit a wall since the start of the season, with his batting average dropping to .145 as of May 25th. He has been working on the theme of "hitting closer to the target," and since being promoted again on June 13th, he has posted solid batting results with a .313 batting average (105 At Bat 335 hit), 3 Home Run, and 34 RBI in 82 games.

In an interview on August 6th, he said, "I want to hit a home run in every game, and I write down the theme for the day in a notebook every day. I constantly reflect on whether I was able to achieve it that day and why I wasn't, and make corrections, so I think that's really leading to good results." However, as he reflects on his daily performance, does he also understand the reasons why he's able to hit hit run, and the reasons why he hasn't been able to?

"Of course, I know that, and I always think about what went wrong and what went well, and do it every day."

I wonder if daily reflection is something he has been doing since his student days.

"I didn't do that kind of thing when I was a student, but when I became a professional I started writing things down in a notebook."

When asked what prompted him to start writing reflections in a notebook, he explained, "If I write down the good things in my notebook, I can reflect on them when things go wrong, so I do it."

◆ Nishikawa as seen by Coach Kurihara

Hitting coach Kurihara Kenta said of Nishikawa's batting, "Since the start of the season, he's been swinging at balls that aren't quite his style, but now he's able to hit balls to right field even when the ball is jammed, and his hitting zone has expanded. He was always able to pick up and hit breaking ball. I think the biggest factor is that he's now able to hit balls that are jammed to right field." He smiles at Nishikawa's growth.

Nishikawa currently leads the league with 27 doble as a rookie, but has doble 24 since June. Since being promoted again in June, he has been hitting doble from a wide range of angles. Coach Kurihara also analyzed, "I think he's hitting more long hits. I think that's because he's swinging well, and he's been playing in games at bat, and he's gradually gaining more confidence, and I think he's feeling like he can do it if he's in this form."

◆ base running and defense

Nishikawa's batting ability tends to be the focus of attention, but he also contributes greatly to base running and defense. His "base running with an eye on getting one step ahead" is something that stands out.

On August 20 against Rakuten, in the second at bat in the 0-2 5th inning with two outs, Tatsuki Koja threw a 136 km two seam fastball first pitch center fielder to right hit and without slowing down, he hit a timely doble that stole second base. On August 31 against Softbank, with one out in the 1-1 3rd inning, Kyuto Ueda 's hit to left center field allowed first base runner and Nishikawa to advance to third base on a good base running, Ryusei Terachi was brought back alive by a wild pitch during the at-bat.

A great one was against Rakuten on September 13, when with two outs in the fourth inning of a 6-2 game, Hiromi Oka on third base bobbled, first baseman runner Nishikawa, who was starting on 3 balls and 2 strike, saw Rakuten third baseman Franco going to first throw, and without slowing down, he made a good base running fall at third base.

"I think that's one thing that can determine whether a team wins or loses, and sometimes a single base running can make the difference between winning and losing.I'm always aiming to get ahead, so I think that base running (Rakuten on September 13th) was good for me," he reflected.

The lefty defense also has a league-leading nine supplementary kills so far outfielder, including a 1-0 8th inning start against Seibu on Aug. 24, when he got Nevin to fly out to left on a 3-ball 2 strike with one out in the 8th inning, and got out of a fly out runner and Wataru Takamatsu directly throw to first base.

Although he is still a rookie, he has become an indispensable player on both offense, running, and defense. "I hope to give it my all in every game and get good results," he said. He hopes to reach the required number of at-bats for the season, further improve his batting average and number of hit, and win the Rookie of the Year award.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita