Orix Buffaloes Kaede Yokoyama pitcher participated in a tourism PR event for Miyazaki City in Osaka on March 22. The right-hand man, a native of Miyazaki, promoted the city's specialties, chicken nanban and ramen, nodding his head and saying, "I was nervous, but it's not often that I get a chance to speak in a place that has a connection with Miyazaki, so I was very happy to be able to speak here.
After graduating from Miyazaki Gakuen, Kokugakuin University, and playing for Sega Sammy in the amateur baseball league, he joined Orix Buffaloes as the sixth pick in the 2021 draft. In his third year, he was cut from the roster during the offseason last year, but after a fresh start as a development player, he returned to the regular roster on July 30th. His weapon is a fastball that can reach speeds of over 150 km/h, delivered with a uniquely small take-back. In 14 games, he made his presence felt with a record of 2 wins, 0 losses, 4 hold, including his first professional win, and ERA of 1.10.
During the fan question section, "What is the one hitter you don't like playing against?" When asked, he mentioned the lefty favorites hitter who allowed Softbank Hawks Makihara Dai, Shuto, and Nakamura, all of whom hit during the season. This season, he had a .156 batting average against right-handed hitter, while he struggled a bit with left-handed hitter, hitting .208 against them. I'm trying to hone in on the part where I run away from hitters fork and hit the tough course on the in-course cutter. （I feel like I'm trying to get into the batter's pocket. This year, there were some cases where I was able to get a hit off with that, so it's difficult, but I want to keep practicing so that I can always throw that kind of pitch.
The spring training camp in February will be held in his hometown of Miyazaki. "It's rare to have the opportunity to play baseball in front of my family and local friends, so I'm really lucky to have been given this opportunity. I want to turn the support of my hometown into strength and do my best. I want to make an impression and aim to be on the first team at the start of the season," he said with determination.
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