[Softbank] Is Hotaka Yamakawa 's poor performance in the exhibition games a good sign? "You'll understand if you look at my past numbers"

Sports Hochi

2025.3.20(木) 19:12

On the 20th, Softbank infielder Hotaka Yamakawa calmly accepted his results in the exhibition games. He has played in 11 games so far with a batting average of .154 and no Home Run, but he said with a smile, "Once the season starts, it's a completely different story. It doesn't matter if I hit 50% or 60% in the exhibition games. If you look at my past numbers, you'll understand."

In the 2018 opening season, when he hit a career-high 47 Home Run and became Home Run king for the first time, his batting average was .136. In 2019, when he hit 43 home runs, his batting average was .26, and in 2022, when he hit 41 home runs, his batting average was .25. His low batting average before the season began is actually a good sign. "Just being able to start the season safely is 100 points. Playing from the opening game to the final game without injury is harder than becoming home run king, and it's difficult to start the season safely in the first place," he emphasized.

He is not looking for results in the match against Hiroshima starting on the 21st, saying, "I'll just swing at the balls that come my way and defend." He said that the start after the opening is important, and that "I want to get on track quickly, so the first match will be about 100. If the numbers there become stable to a certain extent, it will be much easier."