On the 6th, Nippon-Ham Fighters pitcher Kota Tatsu set a goal of an average pitch speed of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) and a top speed of 105 miles per hour (169 kilometers per hour).
During fall training camp, he measured his numbers through biomechanics and explained, "My rotation speed has been increasing. My blocking wasn't going well, so I just need to improve that aspect." Regarding pitch speed, he said, "Rotation speed is equal to pitch speed, so I'd like to get it to 100 mph, on average. Unless I'm at that speed, I won't be able to play on the world stage. I'd like to average 100 mph and have a maximum of around 105 mph." He aims to significantly increase his speed from his fastest pitch of 156 km/h.
Looking ahead to next season, he said, "Ideally, I'd like to get around 24 wins, but it's not going to work out that well, so I'd like to win at least double digits." The team also has Ito, who has been the most wins player for two consecutive years and also won the Sawamura Award this season, and he vowed to perform as well as the ace, saying, "I want to stick close to (Ito) Taikai. I want to encourage him (laughs)."
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