"What I did for the three years of high school was to hone my fastball instead of relying on breaking ball, so I just kept on honing my fastball."

Lotte's third-round draft pick, Yoritomo Okumura (Yokohama High School), honed his "fastball" during his high school years.

fastball I can control my pitch very well, and I think my weapon is that I can throw it inside the ballpark regardless of whether it is right or left-handed," he said confidently. I think that's my characteristic, which you can't see until you're in the batter's box.

"I'm incorporating movements to make the most of my unique straight pitch and to improve it, while researching and giving feedback, and thinking every day about how I can improve it. I'm trying to connect it not only to playing catch, but also to my daily training and other aspects," he says, training with a high level of awareness.

fastball As for the speed of the "fastball", his current thinking is that it would be good if his ball speed increases as a result while he is conscious of throwing quality pitches. He does not seem to be thinking about increasing the speed of his pitches.

What kind of ball does he envision as his ideal fastball?

"My fastball is one of a kind, so rather than wanting to be like someone else, I want to be able to throw a new fastball. Not a new type of pitch or anything, but I would like to be able to hone a fastball that is unique to me."

Looking at the video of breaking ball, change-up, which he throws to right-handed hitter is quite good. "I'm not very confident in breaking ball," he said, but added, "I'm most confident in change-up."

　また、一塁の牽制が非常に上手い。「牽制にも自信がありますし、牽制だけでなくフィールディング全般に自信があるので、そういったところも磨いていきたいと思います」と、将来的には投手部門でのゴールデン・グラブ賞受賞にも期待したいところ。

Now that he's a professional baseball player, he's in a position to excite fans. "When I was little, I used to watch professional baseball and get really excited, and I remember clearly wanting to be like that, so next I want to become pitcher that makes people think the same way." On the professional stage, he says, "I want to work hard to become a player with a long career, so I hope I can keep on building up little by little," climbing the ladder one step at a time.

▼Yorihito Okumura

number: 40

Date of birth: September 8, 2007

position: pitcher

Height / Weight: 179 cm / 83 kg

Throwing/Hitting: Left/Left

Career: Yokohama High School - Lotte (3rd pick in the draft)

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita