Rookie Kutani Ryu pitcher (26), the sixth overall pick in the Rakuten Eagles draft with a top speed of 153 km/h, entered his fourth bullpen rookie training session of the year on the 28th at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyou Park Miyagi indoors in Sendai City. The right-hander, who led Oji to the top of last year's Inter-City baseball Tournament and won the Hashido Prize, the MVP award, has set his sights on returning the favor to Yabaton, the Nagoya restaurant specializing in miso pork cutlets that raised him, and making the ballpark gourmet.
He unleashed powerful balls after a windup. Kutani swung his right arm with all his heart and soul into each pitch. He threw a satisfying 21 pitches, including a curveball, slider, change-up, and splitter. He prepared his mind and body before the start of training camp, where he will start with the first team.
"I have a lot of worries, but I feel like it's finally here. I'm adding to the team's training menu, and they're also making time for me to do what I want, so I think it's going well."
He has had a hard life. After graduating from Katata Prefectural High School in Shiga and attending Osaka Otani University, he joined Yabatan, a restaurant with baseball team. He practiced in the morning and worked as a waiter in the afternoon. His talent blossomed, and his pitching speed reached 150 km/h. In 2013, he transferred to Oji, a professional baseball team. He performed well in the Intercity Baseball Tournament and achieved his Cinderella story by winning the draft.
Regarding the appeal of Yabatan's miso cutlet, he said, "It's a Nagoya specialty, and I think people think of miso cutlet as being quite thick, but Yabatan is light and easy to eat, so I would definitely recommend people from Tohoku to try it at least once." If he becomes a top player at Rakuten Eagles, he will be able to satisfy fans' appetites with stadium cuisine named after him, but he said with a sparkle in his eyes, "I would like to do well so that I can have my own player cuisine made."
After accumulating a wealth of life experience, he has finally achieved his dream of becoming a professional. There are high expectations that he will be an immediate asset. "I want to make sure I stay injury-free," says Kutani. He will not forget his original intentions and will continue to pitch in the City of Trees. (Kato Hiroshi)
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