The closer, who stands mound in the last inning of a game in which the team is leading, is called the "guardian deity" because of the important position he plays in leading the team to win a victory. Many fans are fascinated by the sight of the guardian god who, under pressure, continues to wave his arms for the team's victory, no matter what the situation.
In this issue, we introduce the guardian gods of each team and the future guardian god candidates who are expected to play an active role this season, from the third consecutive video collaboration between PERSOL Pacific League TV and Hochiki Corporation, a fire alarm manufacturer and the guardian god of a society where everyone can live in peace.
This season, Seigi Tanaka who was appointed as a double stopper with Yukiya Saito recorded 20 saves for the second consecutive year.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Last season, Seigi Tanaka pitcher made a team-high 20 saves. Orix on April 29, he went up to mound in a tense situation with a one-run lead, Seigi Tanaka pitcher and Hit by Pitch and others, and got two outs and the tying run on third base with one hit. Nevertheless, he missed struck out Gonzalez with a 152 km/h fastball and closed out the game. Seigi Tanaka pitcher 's performance was essential to this year's grand voyage toward winning the league championship for the first time in nine years.
Takahiro Norimoto the guardian deity of the City of Forests, won the saves title in his first year as a closer.
For Tohoku Rakuten, pitcher Takahiro Norimoto, who switched to closer last season, is defending the team's winning streak. On April 2, 2024, in the final ninth inning against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters with a two-run lead, he struck out three hitter with just four pitches, earning his first professional save. Since then, despite a period of poor performance, he has continued to take to mound in save situations throughout the season, and was named the most saves leader in Pacific League. Young relief pitchers such as Shoma Fujihira pitcher pitcher Sora Suzuki are beginning to stand out, but will Norimoto be able to maintain his position as guardian angel this season?
Will new signing Wingenter become part of the winning team?
With the departure of Abreuil pitcher, who recorded a team-high 28 saves last season, Saitama Seibu has high hopes for newcomer Wingenter pitcher. In his debut in February, he hit a series of fastballs over 150 km/h in a red-and-white game. In the "2025 Baseball Spring Miyazaki Baseball Games" Chiba Lotte held on February 17, he pitched in the 8th inning with a five-run lead Walk and gave up one run, but gave up 3 struck out with a powerful straight ball thrown down from his 201cm height. Can the right-hander, who has pitched in 97 games in the majors, add his name to the win equation?
Naoya Masuda is seven saves Rikuto Yokoyama is aiming for the position of the next guardian deity.
Chiba Lotte 's steadfast guardian deity, Naoya Masuda pitcher, is 7 saves away from the 250-save total required for admission to the Meikyukai, and Rikuto Yokoyama pitcher is eyeing the title of the next guardian god. On September 26, 2024, pitcher Yokoyama, who entered the game in the seventh inning behind one run, struck out struck out against Ryo Ota and Kosei Osato respectively. He struck out the next Yutaro Sugimoto batter on three pitches, then struck out the next slider to end the inning, striking out the top Orix batters to struck out for the third straight time. Last season, he appeared in a career-high 43 games and posted a ERA of 1.71, so he wants to be part of a winning pattern this season.
Will Kaito Saiki grow into a pillar of the relief team?
Orix have had Machado pitcher serve as the closer since May of last season following the departure of longtime Yoshihisa Hirano pitcher closer, and Kaito Saiki pitcher is expected to be a potential guardian in the future. Saiki pitcher, who joined the club with the second pick in the 2022 development draft, was registered under control on May 24 last season and made his professional debut against Saitama Seibu on May 26. He made full use of his fastball pitch to make an imposing first-inning 0-for-0 debut. Since then, he has appeared in a total of 15 games. In the end, he had a disappointing ERA of 5.09, but can he use his experience from last season to develop into a reliever this season?
A perfect comeback. Osuna achieved great things last season.
When it comes to the guardian of Fukuoka Softbank, everyone thinks of Osuna pitcher. Osun pitcher a, who has 155 career saves in MLB, has been the Fukuoka Softbank closer since 2023. In the May 8, 2024 game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, he struck out Martinez with a struck out, Gomasa Kato with a fly to left, and Yuya Gunji with three grounders to achieve the feat of 200 saves in Japan and the United States. However, last season, he was unable to compete throughout the season, such as temporarily returning to Japan due to a lower-body condition in the summer, so he would like to show that he has made a full recovery this season.
In addition to the players introduced in this article, the video also shows young reliever pitcher, who is the absolute guardian of trust and achievements, and a candidate for the future guardian god, waving his arms for the team. Who will stand in the mound when the 2025 league champions are decided? This season, we will also pay attention to the battle for the guardian god of each team.
