"I'll do my best to swing my arms as hard as I can and get results so I can achieve my first win."

Lotte's second-year high school graduate, Yuto Kimura, set his goal for the season at the Ishigaki Island spring training camp in February this year as his first professional win, and he quickly achieved that goal, demonstrating his outstanding presence as both a starter and reliever.

Last season, in his first year after graduating from high school, Kimura focused on building his physique by pitching 11 games and 19 innings in the farm team, but finished with 0 wins and 2 losses and ERA 2.37, and did not pitch in the first team.

bullpen During his voluntary training, he focused on the strength of fastball, saying, "I have been looking for speed and strength in my straight ball, and when I threw bullpen (on the first day of the Ishigakijima camp), I was able to feel the power in my ball and push it firmly to the ground, so I think that was good. On the first day of the Ishigakijima Spring Training Camp , he said, "I think I've been able to transmit the power of the ball a little more, and I think I'm getting better at throwing my own ball a little bit more.

In a red-and-white game held on February 11, he pitched from the 3rd inning of a 0-0 game and threw 10 pitches in 1 inning, 1 hit hit, 2 strike out, and no runs. I had been thinking about my theme before pitching, which was to focus on straight pitch pitches, and I was able to control the ball to a certain extent, as well as its height, in my mind. I think that the ball from a form with no sense of power is my best feature, so I think I was able to show it off well enough today. I think that ball was also very relaxed and good. Especially fastball was great Yudai Fujioka with two outs runner and no outs , missing struck out from 1 ball 2 strike.

In the game against the Rakuten Eagles Monkeys on February 16th, he threw 13 pitches in the first inning and pitched hit 0, strike out, and no runs. "Just like in the previous red and white game, I pushed straight and there were few breaking ball, but I have gained confidence in the straight, so I feel good even when I throw." It was good to finish off Zhang Chaohong, the leader of the 3rd inning with a 0-3 struck out from 1 ball 2 strike, to fastball.

Still, when asked about his pitch in the game against Rakuten Eagles Monkeys, he was not at all satisfied, saying, "I'd give it about 70 points. Overall, my control started to go haywire after two strike, so I'd like to fix that."

After the spring training camp in Ishigaki Island ended, he joined the Miyakonojo training camp. He made his first appearance in an exhibition game on March 4th against DeNA, throwing 24 pitches over 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 strike out, 0 BB, and no runs. closer pitch runs innings in an exhibition game against Nippon-Ham on March 12th. closer a perfect 2 innings against Seibu Lions' second team on March 22nd, and earned his first opening day appearance on the first team on March 27th.

In the Softbank Hawks game on March 30th, he made his professional debut in the 7th inning of 4-4. He hit the leading Hotaka Yamakawa with a 116 km curve on the fourth pitch thrown from 1 ball and 2 strike with a swing struck out, followed by a three-ground Tomoya Masaki and a Kenta Imamiya in the middle without danger. Immediately after that, in the top of the 8th inning, the batting line succeeded in winning the game, and in the 9th inning, the relief team defended this lead, and Kimura got his first professional win.

Kimura, who achieved his goal of his first professional win early in the season, reflected, "To be honest, I didn't think I could do it, but as I pitched, the fielder scored points and I ended up winning. I think I was lucky, and in the end I was able to pitch the way I wanted to on my first appearance on the mound, which I think has given me confidence."

Having achieved his goal of winning his first professional win, when asked about his next goal he replied enthusiastically, "I think I'll be given more opportunities to pitch from now on, so I'd like to closer inning at zero for the innings I'm assigned to. I think my next appearance after my first will be important, so I want to keep swinging my arm without being satisfied."

In the Rakuten Eagles game on April 4th, which was his second professional appearance, he also made a perfect relief in the 3rd inning, and in the Rakuten Eagles game on April 18th, he took the mound in the 7th inning of the first winning game, and although it was a tense situation with a score of mound 1-0, he finished the 1st inning with only 4 pitches and recorded his first professional hold.

He gave up Walk for the first time against Seibu Lions on April 22, but he pitched two innings and 34 pitches, giving up 0 hits hit, 1 strike out, 1 BB, and no runs. He has pitched in 5 games and 9 inning no-hit games since his first appearance. I've been making adjustments to keep my body in good shape since my first start, and it's showing mound so I think my body is in good shape and so is the feeling I'm getting right now.

Regarding the fact that he has been able closer runner at zero for inning he is assigned to, he analyzed himself, saying, "My first priority is to keep the runners closer in the innings I am assigned to, so I am able to get that mindset in order when I go up to mound, and I think that is good."

"I think my fastball, cutter, and slider are all somewhat effective. There are parts where I want to throw with confidence, and parts where I still want to get strikeouts, so I want to keep working hard in those areas," he said, gaining confidence.

He gave up his first professional runs in a game against Nippon-Ham on April 27th, and then runs in three consecutive games from that time on. He pitched 0 2/3 innings and gave up 5 runs mound Seibu Lions May 11th, and then pitched in a 9th inning save situation against Rakuten Eagles on May 15th, when the score was 5-2.

Coach Kuroki Tomohiro revealed what happened behind the scenes, saying, "The phone rang, and I sent him off with the feeling that Kimura was on his way. He was really fired up. The players also get really fired up when the call comes, and they've anticipated it to some extent beforehand, so they think about what kind of mindset they should have when the time comes and start preparing for it from the previous inning. When the call actually came, there was a sense of tension."

Kimura marked his first professional save closer in one inning of no runs to no while giving runner up his fastest pitch, 154 km/h, on the fifth pitch he threw from 2 balls 2 strike to Hideto Asamura with one out, which turned out to be a ball.

At the beginning of the season, he was the second reliever after starter was taken out, and was responsible for turning the team's momentum, and was also entrusted with pitching one inning in games that were tied or won, and he showed his skills in a variety of situations.He pitched 19 2/3 innings in relief in 14 games, finishing with 1 win, 5 hold, 1 ERA of 2.75, and made his professional debut in a game against Hanshin Tigers on June 17th.

Before taking the mound as a starter, he had a thorough meeting with Teraji Takanari, who is also in his second year after graduating from high school, saying, "Before leaving for the Ryusei Terachi on the day of the game, I had a meeting with Teraji for about 30 minutes, and I got a grasp on the characteristics of the opposing batter and went into the game."

In his first professional start after gaining experience as a relief pitcher, he said, "Once the game started, I'd be facing the opposing batters, so I felt like I wanted to pitch long inning the other way around. I took to mound for my first start at Koshien hoping to pitch as many inning as possible." closer the Hanshin Tigers batting line to three hit and one runs in four innings.

If it's reliever, straight is the ball I'm most confident with, but if I get hit with a curve, reliever it comes down to mentality, or I'd rather get hit with my most confident straight, so rather than dodging with breaking ball, I'd rather throw a curve reliever and get hit with it, I'd regret it. The starter throws a long inning, so the starter can throw a curve to throw off the timing, push with a straight, or have a crisp pitch. I would like to try different things even in really short inning".

In the game Rakuten Eagles on July 2nd, he said, "I've been reliever for a long time, so I was worried about the number of pitches I would throw before the game started. But once the game started, the adrenaline started to kick in and I got fired up, so I was able to relax a little in that regard. My spirit grew stronger as I continued pitching, so I think I got better as I continued pitching." He threw 98 pitches over 6 2/3 innings, hit 6 hits, strike out 4, and allowing 3 runs, earning his first win as a starter.

What's great about Kimura is that he can get strike with any pitch, whether it's fastball or breaking ball. "In that game, I was able to get count with all of my pitches, which are my strengths, and I was able to use all of my key pitches, so I think that was what made him good on the mound."

Among them were the 1 ball 2 strike to the 5th pitch 149 km incourse fastball that got Fumiya Kurokawa to third fly with two outs runner none in the 0-0 first inning, and the 3rd pitch 148 km incourse fastball that got Daisuke Nakashima to 2 strike to miss struck out with one out runner none in the 6-3 7th inning." left-handed hitter fastball "His control of the pitch was excellent.

"When I was reliever, I couldn't throw my fastball, so my key fork, the cutter, were getting hit. So, being able to throw that inside pitch well makes breaking ball more effective, so if I can throw that ball well, my breaking ball will also be effective. I think that was a good thing."

In the Softbank Hawks game (Kitakyushu), which was his third professional start, there was a 1 hour and 05 minute break from the end of the third inning, but in the 4th inning of 2-1, Yamakawa in the lead was splitter struck out, Keita Yamamoto was a left fly, and Akira Kawase was two ground balls, and the first inning after the break of more than an hour was a three-way retirement closer It was so calm that I couldn't believe it was my second year of high school.

"We knew that the start there was important, so being able to switch it back on and closer them to three strikeouts was a big factor in that game. We did fall apart in the fifth inning, but the previous innings were good, so I think it was good that we didn't fall apart."

As Kimura said, he gave up a runs in the fifth inning with the score at 2-1, and the game was called due to rain. Although the game was called due to rain, he was recorded as having pitched complete game. "There were many things I regret, but I was able to do everything I could in those five innings, so I think my pitching was sufficient, and that was a good performance in that game," he reflected.

In his first start since the All-Star break Seibu Lions on August 2nd, he said, "I wasn't really concerned about the number of pitches I threw, but in terms of performance, I gave up Walk, and walking the leadoff Walk hurt me in that game, and it led to us runs (in the seventh inning). There are a lot of things I need to improve on, so I would like to fix that." With runner on base every pitch, he threw 106 pitches for 6 2/3 innings, his highest total since turning pro, hit 5 hits, strike out 4, BB giving up 4 runs.

With the score at 3-2 in the seventh inning, Walk, the first batter, was walked, and Sosuke Genda followed, but Yuto Koga grounded out to third base, allowing two outs. However, Kyuto Ueda runs a first baseman to first base from Natsuo Takizawa Natsuo, allowing a run. He allowed Takizawa to stolen base base, and then allowed walk to Manaya Nishikawa, before being taken out of the game. He was unable to complete the seventh inning, and expressed regret, saying, "I made some runs in the seventh inning, but more than that, I walked the leadoff hitter, which led to a run. I need to reflect on that."

In the Rakuten Eagles game on August 19th, in the 6th inning of 3-2, he was Walk to the leadoff voy, and Kurokawa was carried in front of center fielder, causing a pinch with no outs on first and second base, but Franco swung struck out with a 138 km splitter on the 5th pitch from 2 balls and 2 strike, and Rui Muneyama flew to the right with 130 km change-up on the second pitch from the 1st ball. With two outs and one out, he threw Gonzalez from one ball at third base and hit the second pitch with a 147 kg fastball to the right, putting a 0 on the scoreboard.

Rakuten Eagles Zozo Marine Stadium The game was mound against the wind, which is a special feature of his home base. I was able to throw the ball without really being aware of it, and I felt the ball shoot a little, but it didn't affect my pitch game at all. The curve was more curved than I thought it would be due to the wind. I felt it was difficult to control, but I think it was good that the change-up worked for me.

He threw a great fastball into the in-course of the right-handed hitter at the start, but in the third inning, 12 out of 15 pitches were breaking ball, a breaking ball-dominated pitch. "I wanted to bring a straight ball to the winning ball, and the way I count breaking ball look straight changes completely by going to the breaking ball.

In the fourth and fifth innings, he again threw all of his pitches evenly, closer all three batters. "Things didn't always go well, but I'm trying closer three outs every inning, and rhythm is one of my strengths, so I want to keep that in." He threw 103 pitches over six innings, hit five hits and two runs, fulfilling his role as a starter.

He was beaten 6 runs in 6 innings against Nippon-Ham on September 4 and 7 runs in 5 innings against Orix Buffaloes on September 16, as if the stable pitch he had been since early spring was a lie. On September 24, he made his first start with the shortest pitching interval of seven days in the middle of the season since he became a professional pitcher, Seibu Lions and he attracted The Marines fans who came to his home base, Zozo Marine Stadium.

fastball I think I threw my best straight ball since I started starting, and I think I threw my best straight ball when I was reliever. Even in the 9th inning, the speed and power of my straight ball didn't drop, so I think that's where I feel I'm getting a good response.

fastball He also pitched a perfect pitching performance in the 8th inning. "My straight line was really good, so I was able to throw it well because it was breaking ball effective," he said. splitter was also very good. mound hit strike out runs shutout game win He was pitching a perfect pitching day, focusing on fastball and splitter, and throwing cutter, curve and change-up effectively until the first death in the 7th inning, 5-0.

"I want to keep the fact that I was able to pitch the whole game as my biggest gain. My last outing was really disappointing, so being able to pitch the whole game was a big one for me, and I'm glad it was a good experience," he said happily.

In his second year as a pro, he pitched as both a starter and reliever, pitching 22 games, 8 starts, and 68 innings, with a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, 5 hold, 1 strike out, and ERA 3.31. Although he was removed from the pitching roster, he spent the entire season with the first team.

I was able to correct some of the issues, such as the speed and quality of my straight line, even at the end of the season, so shutout game win I was able to do that, and if I can work on that more and more, it will lead to next year, and I think we can win three, five, and more games. I think we can win more and more, so I would like to pursue the quality of probability and fastball.

Based on this year's experiences, I imagine there are a variety of emotions, such as "I did very well" or "I'm not satisfied," but what are those emotions?

"There were times when I was able to pitch more than I expected, and I was also entrusted with starting, so I was able to gain some experience. If I can have even a few more things that I think went well next season, then my experience will have grown for that year at least. That's what I'm aiming for."

Looking ahead to next season, he said enthusiastically, "Even when I'm pitching, I feel like the quality of fastball is still lacking, so I'd like to review that and work hard to improve the quality of my fastball and breaking ball overall. My physical strength has declined towards the end of the season, so I'd like to get it back and carry it over to next season." He will be pitching in the starting rotation from the start of next season, and we hope to see him perform even better than this season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita