[Nippon-Ham] Opening pitcher Shoma Kanemura pitches shutout game win. His mentor, Fuji University head coach Shintaro Yasuda, reveals his true character from his college days: "He had excellent fingertip sensation."

Sports Hochi

2025.3.29(土) 06:30

◆ Pacific League Seibu 0-2 Nippon-Ham (28th, Belluna Dome)

Nippon-Ham s Shoma Kanemura pitcher (24) made his first opening pitcher in a game against Seibu (Beruna D) on the 28th, and raised 6 hit shutout game win. Kanamura's mentor, Shintaro Yasuda, 40, manager of Fuji University's baseball club, spoke to Sports Hochi and revealed the true face of his college days.

Kanemura played his first opening game as pitcher and achieved the feat of shutout game win. Although there was no direct contact with him after the decision to nominate him for the important role, Kanemura was praised for his unwavering stability.

"He's the same no matter the situation. Rather than suddenly showing his strength, he's a player who can always throw the same way."

Coach Yasuda has played in independent leagues in Kyushu and Kansai, as well as in Korea, and has seen many players. He recognized Kanemura's abilities from the time he entered the school.

"From the moment he enrolled, he had excellent fingertip sensation. He also had good control and high accuracy with breaking ball."

During his college years, he pitched in 36 games, winning 25 and losing 5 with ERA of 0.88 and 25 Hit by Pitch. His Hit by Pitch rate was an astonishing 0.99.

"In my university days, my control was so good that I wasn't afraid of the batters and there were times when I got hit repeatedly. Since going pro, my average pitch speed has increased by 4-5km, and there are times when I can push with a straight pitch, so I'm impressed with how much I've grown."

The turning point came in my second year of university. A conversation with my coach raised my awareness dramatically.

"When I asked him, 'Do you want to go pro? If so, how highly ranked do you want to be?' he answered, 'I want to go as a controlled player.' So I told him, 'You won't make it as a pro if you're just going as a controlled player. You need to have the ambition to go as high as number one.' From then on, his awareness improved and he started to achieve better results."

One of her charms is that she has both aspects that are typical of someone from Okinawa, and also aspects that are not.

"I can treat everyone equally. My relationship with everyone doesn't change depending on whether they're good or bad at baseball, so everyone likes me. That's typical of someone from Okinawa. But I'm also good at planning things and working towards my goals."

Last season, he won seven games, making a big leap in his second year as a professional. Knowing Kanemura well, I hope he will aim even higher.

"I want him to keep breaking his career highs. I hope he will eventually join Samurai Japan."

◆Yasuda Shintaro Born on December 17, 1984 in Sendai, Miyagi. 40 years old. After graduating from Sendai High School, he went on to Tohoku Gakuin University, and after playing for club teams and independent leagues, he became a coach at Fuji University in 2016. He became the manager in July 2020, and won the North Tohoku University League three times in the spring and three times in the fall. His position as an active player was outfielder. Six players, including Orix first-round pick Mugiya, were selected in last fall's draft.