"Nothing in particular will change, and I hope to continue doing things at my own pace."
When it was decided that he would start with the first team at spring training, Lotte's second-round draft pick, Kaito Mori (Meiji University), said the following, and true to his word, he practiced calmly without disrupting his own pace at the Miyakonojo spring training camp, saying, "I'm able to go into bullpen at my own pace, and it's very fulfilling."
As a newcomer, she tends to want to show off and put in effort to show off her strengths, but she remains "natural" even during practice. Perhaps she has been calm since her student days.
"When I was a student, it was like that when I was a junior, but as I got older I found out what I had to do, and it became a routine, and that's how I got to where I am today."
Even in bullpen during the Miyakonojo spring training camp, he continued to throw at his own pace, saying, "I throw at my own pace so as not to get in the way of my seniors," even though a senior pitcher was pitching next to him.
In bullpen on the 6th, he was taken by his classmate, Ko Matsukawa. Matsukawa said, "Your pitches are coming in well, so I hope you can keep it up."
On February 11th, he made his first appearance in a live BP, throwing 20 pitches to Soto and Koki Yamaguchi, only allowing one hit ball. He also threw some breaking ball that threw him off-time. Ryusei Terachi, who caught Mori's pitch, commented, "breaking ball were all in the zone, and he landed them low, and he was able to throw curveballs that were off-time and get the foul. I thought the level of all his pitches was high."
In his first appearance against The Giants on February 17th, a training game with the score tied at 3-3, he pitched in the sixth inning and got Yuta Izumiguchi, who had a batting average of .301 last season, to ground out to the pitcher with a 146 km/ fastball on his first pitch, getting the first out. He then got Richard to ground out to the pitcher with a 145 km/ fastball on his first pitch, easily getting the second out. Finally, he got Yu Aramaki to ground out to second base with a 135 km/h slider on his fifth pitch after being down 2 balls and 2 strike. He pitched just seven pitches in his debut against the Giants, finishing the first inning runs.
"I think I can make a name for myself by creating matches, so I would like to continue creating good matches and gradually improve."
◆ My goal is to become Rookie of the Year
Mori's goal for his first year as a professional is to become the Rookie of the Year.
In order to win the Rookie of the Year, he needs to pitch in the starting rotation for one year. Regarding what is necessary to keep the rotation for one year, Mori said at the presentation of new players held in December last year, "I still don't know if I will fight through one year within myself, so I would like to do it while listening to various people," but during the Miyako spring camp, he went out to eat with Kazuya Ojima, who has now reached the regulation innings pitched for five consecutive years. At that time, I asked him how he would spend his time in terms of life. That's the part of life, and I talked about what kind of adjustments I should make," he said, asking how he spent his time throwing in the rotation for one year.
"I think the most important thing is to avoid injury, and from there it's a world of skill, so I want to keep improving my skills," he says, climbing the ladder step by step at his own pace.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
