Nippon-Ham pitcher Kota Tatsu (21) conducted voluntary training at the team's facility in Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture on the 22nd, and revealed his idea for a "new magic ball."

On a cold, windy ground, he played catch with his junior Ryusei Fujita. They showed off their playful side. Normally, slider is held with the index and middle fingers together, but this time he held it with just the four fingers from index to pinky and tried throwing it.

"I had the impression that if you grip the ball with more fingers, the ball will be slower, but when I tried throwing it, it was incredibly fast."

Fujita Ryu, who received the ball, commented on his experience at close range, "I think it's a cut. I think it's useful. It feels like it stretches out halfway through, and the trajectory is similar to a straight shot, and then it comes in with a snap at the end. It's fast."

In the past, some of breaking ball that became synonymous with great pitcher were born from such playful ideas. The reporter covering the Fighters immediately offered some naming ideas, and was asked, "What do you think would be good?" This could be the first step towards creating a "magic pitch." (Hiroshi Kato)