Lotte's three foreign fielder played on the first team this season: Neftalí Soto, Gregory Polanco, and Stiven Acevedo.
Polanco was Home Run king in 2013, and Soto had 88 RBI last season, second in the league, so they were expected to perform well as "point getters" this season as well. Before the start of the season, Soto said, "I want to do my job to help the team win, and if everyone can do their job, it will lead to the team's win, so I hope I can do what I need to do and lead to win," while Polanco also vowed to hit hard from early spring, saying, "I don't want to wait until summer, I want to get ready for the opening game and give 100% from then on."
Polanco, in the season opener against Softbank on March 28, reached second base in the 8th inning of a 7-1 game with no outs hit before center fielder and stole second at once while center fielder and Ukyo Shuto were faltering, and the next day, in a 0-1 5th inning game with no outs runner, he reached second base while center fielder and Shuto were diving on a groundball that fell center fielder to him, and He touched up third base on a fly to right by Tatsuhiro Tamura the next batter. Hiromi Oka On March 30, he came alive with a three-run homer off of - "I was being driven in, so I thought I'd simply hit the ball as it came into the zone. I'm glad I made contact," said Hernandez with two outs in the 1-4 seventh inning, timely doble on the fifth pitch fastball that he threw from 2 strike to 2 . Softbank He did a good job with a .333 batting average and 2 RBI in the opening three games of the season with the
In the second game of the season opener against Softbank on March 29, Soto said, "I was in a corner, so I thought they would try to play in the zone. I was able to hit back a pitch that came in the zone and make it home run." He hit his first pitch of the season, and on the following day, March 30, he said, "It was a really good pitch. I was able to hit a good pitch with the awareness that I was aiming for the zone and if it got out of the zone, it would be walk." On the 30th, he hit his second solo shot in two consecutive games. Zozo Marine Stadium He got off to a great start with a 2 hit 1 RBI in the opening game of the season on April 2 Orix and a 2 hit in the following game on April 3 Orix. He also had three consecutive multi hit games.
After the opening series and the first home game, Polanco had four hit, including his first Home Run of the season, in a game Softbank on April 11, but his batting average for April was .202 Home Run and nine RBI. Soto also only went hit in consecutive games once in April, but his batting average for April was .203.
As the team struggled in May, Soto and Polanco's performances did not improve. Polanco was removed from the first-team roster on May 6th for the first time since his transfer, and Soto also struggled in May, Home Run.148 with three home runs and seven RBI. The team finished with a monthly worst record of 6 wins and 17 losses, a team batting average of .219, and 56 runs scored, and Soto and Polanco's poor performances were directly reflected in the team's performance.
With the start of the interleague games in June, young players were actively included in starting line-up, resulting in fewer playing opportunities for both Soto and Polanco, and on June 3rd Polanco was demoted to the second team for the second time. Polanco was quickly promoted back to the farm team, saying, "I've been practicing by focusing on swinging aggressively and improving my swing speed." He then hit his fifth home run, a solo shot to the opposite field in the fourth inning of a game Softbank on June 28th. He said, "I think my practice paid off, so if I can hit it to center fielder field, it feels good if it flies in the opposite direction." However, after the game against Softbank Hawks on June 29th, he injured his right shoulder and was forced to leave the game. He underwent surgery on his right shoulder, ending his season.
Soto had a batting average of .382 with Home Run 13 RBI in July, and on August 14th in a game against Nippon-Ham, he achieved double-digit Home Run for the eighth consecutive year since coming to Japan.
Acevedo signed a contract as a controlled player on July 25th and was promoted to the first team on September 3rd, making his first professional start and appearance as the eighth batter and DH in a game against Nippon-Ham on the same day. He commented, "It was a really good hit. Since I was registered as a controlled player, I've always imagined my turn at bat as being in the first starting line-up, both in games and practice, so it really was just as I imagined it." In his first at-bat in the second inning with the score at 1-0 and one out and no runner on base, he hit a 149 km/h fastball thrown by Leo Shibata on a two-ball count, hitting it to left field for his first hit since coming to Japan.
The next day, he came in as a substitute batter with no outs in the 0-8 eighth inning and said, "I was watching how Soto-san was throwing at bat and was aiming for a straight line. I'm glad I was able to hit it well." Toshihiro Sugiura hit the second fastball pitch he threw from 1 strike to left field for the first Home Run time in Japan. He made an impact, but these were the two hit he has given up this season.
Although Soto did not reach the required number of at-bats, he played in the first team from the start of the season to the end without being sidelined by injury, recording a team-leading 13 Home Run and 44 RBI. While the team cannot rely solely on foreign players, the poor performances of Soto and Polanco had a significant impact on the team's performance. If young players and foreign players can coexist, the team's strength will improve. The performance of foreign players will be important for advancing to the top of the league, but if the team can create a batting lineup that relies on foreign players but is not overly dependent on them, the team's strength should improve.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
