On the 7th, Lotte's Miyakonojo spring training camp held its first live BP of the camp.

Four pitchers took the mound: Tokito Kawamura, Riku Kikuchi, Koshiro Hiroike, and Yuto Kimura, throwing a total of 20 pitches (5 pitches x 2 hitter, 2 at-bats).

Kawamura said, "I got strike in the first inning, and considering the cold weather, I think I can give myself a passing grade," as he pitched to Akito Takabe and Kyota Fujiwara, closer the number of hit balls to just two.

"I wanted to throw a stronger ball, but I feel like that will improve from now on," he said, and regarding breaking ball, he reflected, "My curveball was really good today, so if I can improve the accuracy of fork, the components of the ball themselves can be improved in bullpen, so I think the rest is just accuracy."

Yuto Kimura aiming to establish himself in the starting rotation, said, "To be honest, I didn't feel good throwing my fastball, but towards the end, I was able to find my own rotation and sharpness in my fastball, so I'd like to be able to throw that ball at a minimum.My breaking ball still have a lot to improve on, so I'd like to fix that through practice."Two pitchers, Toshiya Sato and Misho Nishikawa, pitched, and there were three hit balls.

◆ Ogawa: "They responded well."

Ryusei Ogawa faced off against Koshiro Hiroike, and said, "I was able to react better than I expected, and although pitcher isn't ready yet, I think it was good that I was able to deflect the fast fastball." He showed off his strengths by hitting hit bounced in front of right field and bunting.

After the team practice was over that day, Ogawa practiced special defense at short stop and second baseman at Koala March Stadium, saying, "I'm thoroughly prepared for both, and I'm ready to play in either position." After that, he hit balls against a machine at Pie no Mi Dome.

◆ Soto: "I hit the ball in the direction it's thrown."

Neftalí Soto, who was appointed captain this season, said that during batting practice during the season, "I practice with the game in mind, so hitting in the opposite direction will help me in the game. home run are bound to happen, so I think it's better to practice properly rather than thinking about long hits." He hits many balls in the opposite direction from center fielder, but looking at batting practice at the Miyakonojo spring camp, he hits many balls with an angle to the left field.

When asked why, he replied, "I don't really think about it, I just hit the ball in the direction it's thrown."

◆ Yasuda: "I want to do my best"

Naonori Yasuda, who is aiming to become a regular third baseman, got the crowd excited during the infield practice by shouting out "Kota," "Gaki-san," and "Soto-san" in his third base position.

During batting practice, he keeps his center of gravity low and hits many angled shots. "It feels good, so I think it's important to see how I can adjust when I get more practice games. I'd like to work hard, including addressing the issues that have come up," he said.

He has strong defense skills, and if he can hit, he could be a regular at third base. Yasuda himself said, "Yes, I think my weakness is batting, so I want to work hard on that."

(Interpreter for Neftalí Soto = Interpreter for Hideyuki Akutsu)

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita