On the 26th, Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata (50) announced additional members of the Japanese national team that will participate in the 6th World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, and Nippon-Ham Fighters pitcher Koki Kitayama (26) was selected.
Kitayama commented, "I was born and raised in Japan, and have learned a lot through baseball. I would like to put everything I have learned into this tournament. I will give it my all so that everyone in Japan will be happy."
Nippon-Ham-Ham Fighters manager Shinjo had a keen eye. Kitayama joined the team as the eighth pick in the 2021 draft out of Kyoto Sangyo University. He was the last of the 12 teams to be selected as a regular player, but Shinjo saw Kitayama's pitches during the team's second-team training camp and immediately promoted him to the first team. Not only that, he also selected the first-year right-hander, drafted eighth overall, as the opening day pitcher. During the season, he entrusted him with important roles, including being named the closer. Kitayama has grown into a key player for the team, proving Shinjo's keen eye for top-level talent and potential. And now, they've finally secured a spot in the WBC.
Last season, he pitched in 22 games, recording 9 wins and 5 losses with a 1.63 ERA second in the league. He maintained a place in the rotation all year on a team competing for the top spot. Although he didn't achieve double-digit win, he reached the required number of innings pitched for the first time. In the game The Giants on June 19th (Tokyo Dome), he pitched perfectly until there were two outs in the seventh inning, and pitched well, allowing no hit and no runs until there was one out in the ninth inning. His overwhelming pitch, centered around fastball in the high 150 km/h range, is impressive enough to be effective against teams from around the world.
He played in the Premier 12 in 2012 with Samurai Japan, but this will be his first appearance in the WBC. He also has experience as a relief pitcher, so he is expected to play a versatile role.
◆Kitayama Koki was born on April 10, 1999 in Kyoto, Japan. 26 years old. He was an ace Koshien in the summer of his junior year at Kyoto Seisho. He was drafted 8th overall in the 2021 draft by Kyosan University Nippon-Ham. He was the 76th "booby" pick out of 77 overall, but he started the season pitcher as a rookie in 2010 and was named guardian god midway through the season. 182 cm, 86 kg, he was selected for Samurai Japan in the 2012 Premier 12. Pitches right-handed and bats right-handed. Married.
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