The 10th installment of "Guess the Ide", which introduces the players recommended by each reporter, is Lotte Shuta Takano pitcher (26). In his third year, where he honed his fastball from a powerful and unique pitch form and a fork with a large drop, he has updated his career high in appearances, innings pitched, and wins as a relief. He revealed the factors that led to his leap forward, including teachings from former Softbank Takeshi Wada (44), who is also a senior in his hometown of Shimane. (Interview/composition = Shunsuke Ami)
Towards the end of the game, cheers erupted at the Zozo Marine Stadium, the team's home field, when it was announced that Takano would be pitching in relief. The left-handed pitcher, now in his third year with the team, has been playing an indispensable role as a long relief pitcher for the team, and has already broken his own records in key categories.
"This year, I feel the best about the balls I'm pitching. I usually pitch multiple innings, but I've never been told before I took to the mound that I'm going to pitch multiple inning. So, I'm not thinking about pitching multiple innings, I'm just trying to keep each batter closer."
He throws the ball from directly above with his right leg raised high, then his left leg springs up into the air, creating a dynamic pitch form. After releasing the ball, he leans his chest down, which led to his nickname "Chess." When he was a freshman at Izumo Commercial High School, he watched pitcher from another school play at Koshien in the summer on TV, and thought, "That pitching style is cool," so he started imitating it. Since then, he has made improvements and perfected his style.
He also uses the "roll-a-roll pitching" technique, in which he looks away from catcher 's mitt, but he says, "I just had to swing my arm with all my might, and as I kept pitching, I felt like I naturally lost sight of the mitt.My reactions to the ball are a little slower than others, but..." and he accepts that this is inevitable in the pursuit of his ideal.
His powerful pitching style is attractive and attracts fans, but because he uses his body to the fullest when pitching, even the slightest deviation affects pitch. In his first year with the team in 2011, he made seven appearances on the mound, but last season, his form was unbalanced throughout the season, and he only made six appearances. Feeling a sense of crisis, in December of last year, he asked staff from Driveline, the world's most cutting-edge scientific training lab used by Dodgers pitcher Ohtani and others, to analyze his pitch form when they visited Japan. As a result of correcting the loss of power that was pointed out, the speed of his fastball, which was in the mid-140 km range last season, has often approached the 150 km range this season, and he has been able to challenge hitter with confidence.
The man who helped him grow was his senior from his hometown of Shimane, former Softbank player Takeshi Wada. This year, he participated in the "Wada School" voluntary training for the second time, and received valuable advice from the legendary left-handed pitcher who retired at the age of 43 with a total of 165 wins in Japan and the United States.
"The most important thing I thought was to increase abdominal pressure when pitching. Wada told me, 'When you pitch, you tend to shake when you lift your right leg and move toward catcher. To eliminate that, try increasing your abdominal pressure.' Since then, I've been conscious of this in practice. When we had meals together, I also asked him about how he keeps his mind up in tight situations. I learned that even an outstanding pitcher like Wada sometimes gets anxious, and that he has some weak points that are similar to mine, which was also a learning experience for me."
Since joining the team, he has been on a solid growth curve in his professional career. What is the blueprint for the future as he is inspired by the Dodgers' Yamamoto, Seibu Imai, Hanshin Tigers Murakami, and other good pitcher players of his generation.
"I don't have a strong desire to be a starter. The most important thing is the number of times I pitch in the first team. Of course, I've been a starter for a long time before going pro, so it's something I feel comfortable with, but long relief is also appealing. I would like the manager to continue using me in a position where I can show my strengths the most. Whatever position I'm in, I'll do my best to make it in this world in the first team."
◆Shuta Takano was born on August 13, 1998 in Shimane, Japan. 26 years old. At Izumo Sho, he did not appear Koshien in the tournament. At Kansai University, he represented the Kansai Student baseball League pitcher and in his junior year helped the team reach the final of the Meiji Jingu Tournament for the first time in 47 years. Joined Lotte as the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft from Nippon Express. 184 cm, 88 kg. Pitches left-handed and bats left-handed. Estimated salary this season: 12.5 million yen.
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