"I want to be used well in either role (starter or relief) and do my best to reach my career high."

Lotte's Shuta Takano, who expressed this determination for the season, showed good relief in his first appearance of the season against Softbank on the 29th.

Takano, who came up to mound in the bottom of the sixth after Soto's Home Run tied the game, struck out Richard in the leadoff Tomoya Masaki, followed by Kenta Imamiya with back-to-back fork struck out, and then retired Downs with a fly to left and in the seventh inning on his second inning, he tripled Richard, Takashi Umino to left, Ukyo Shuto to fork struck out and two inning perfect relief.

In an interview on March 25th before the start of the season, he said, "I think I've been doing well so far," and showed off pitch. And in the game against Softbank, Takano got his first professional hold.

◆ fork

He rebuilt his pitch form from scratch for this season, seeking a pitching style that would make the most of his strengths. He has also tried pitches such as fork and slider, as well as the curveball and two seam fastball fastball, in order to be able to throw a wider variety pitch as he transitions to being a starter.

Last season, Urawa's data team had such trouble with his change-up style forkball, fork has a unique trajectory that it was impossible to tell without looking at the grip, that during the spring training camp in Ishigaki Island, he said he needed to "improve his level a bit more." However, in a training game against Hanwha of Korea on February 23, he pitched three innings, allowing one hit and strike out.

Regarding fork, which he had been experimenting with during the spring training camp in Ishigaki Island, he said, "I've been able to get strikeouts in actual games, and the feeling I'm throwing it isn't bad. I feel more confident than last year."He also said, "I've been throwing it comfortably, just as I did after the game against Hanwha."

Softbank The fork was brilliant in the war and strike out is up from last season, as 2 inning took 3 struck out.

"I want to focus on my own pitching style, pitch type, and strikeouts, so I feel like my goals and results are linked, and I'm feeling great about it."

Regarding two seam fastball he has been throwing seriously since this season, he revealed, "The speed hasn't changed much, it's maybe one or two kilometers slower.There are days when it's about the same as a fastball, so it varies."

His first appearance this season will be as a relief pitcher, and it is entirely possible that he will be used as a long reliever in the early part of the season when there are fewer six-game streak games than as a starter. "I've played both as a starter and a reliever up until now, so I want to do both, and although I started out as a starter, I've now been called in as a reliever. I want to make the most of the opportunity I've been given," he said, taking a positive approach.

This season, he is aiming for a career high, and with his first pitch on the mound and fork that has a unique trajectory, it looks like he will become one of the pillars of The Marines pitcher.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita