Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito (28) revealed his "secret technique" for ultra-energy-saving adjustments on the 9th.
Breathing out white clouds of breath, Ito carefully swung his arm with each pitch. He opened up his voluntary training to ESCON. He catch with a WBC ball about 20 times over a distance of about 20 meters, then did some light running before wrapping up his practice with a satisfied expression. The 2025 Sawamura Award-winning right-hander has already been announced as a selection for Samurai Japan in the WBC to be held in March, and has been selected as the opening pitcher for the opening game against Softbank Hawks on the 27th (Mizuho PayPay). "Someone said I had to get ready quickly because of the WBC, that's my fault (laughs). If I continue as usual, I'll be in a condition to pitch in March. This is a time when I shouldn't be pushing myself like that, so I want to break the common sense that someone else has established." He revealed his intention to get himself in top condition with ultra-energy-saving training.
In last season's spring camp, he pitched only 110 pitches in a total of 4 bullpen innings, which was the "bare minimum". Improve the quality and perfection of each pitch, reduce the number of balls to the limit, and reduce the burden on the body. As a result, he marked 196 2/3 innings, the most in both leagues. I am referring to a series of photos of the pitch form. "In this phase, I feel like I'm training here, and it's best to break it down into small pieces and create a state where I'm not throwing a ball (actually) without throwing it," he said, subdividing his form and sharpening his senses.
In the 2011 WBC, runs three scoreless games as reliever. He contributed to the team's world championship, but got off to a slow start in the early part of the season and only managed seven wins. "Last time, I changed my (training)," he said. "I made sure I didn't have to change it, so I made sure I knew, 'If I can do this training, I'll be fine in the game,'" he said, not being swayed by those around him and sticking to his own pace.
His goal is to win the WBC again, win the league for the first time in 10 years, and become the best in Japan. "The WBC is extremely important, but as The Fighters, we just want to win." The unwavering ace from the north will set a new standard with his own results. (Haruki Kawakami)
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