"My first goal is to get results. I think the most important thing is to pitch my own way."

Lotte's seventh draft pick, Taisei (Honda Suzuka), who was enthusiastic about the practice games and exhibition games during the Miyakonojo spring training camp, has pitched in two external games so far and closer runs at zero.

In his first appearance in an external game, a practice match against Hiroshima on February 18, he took mound in the 6th inning with the score 4-1. He allowed doble to the leadoff batter, Yuto Watanabe, on the first pitch, and then Walk Tai Sasaki, failing to throw a single strike. He got Shogo Sakakura to ground out to right field and Shosei Nakamura to a double play, escaping the inning without giving up any runs despite allowing runner on base.

In his second appearance in an open game against Chunichi on February 23, he pitched in the 8th inning of an 0-8 game. He got Masanobu Higuchi to ground out fastball on the first pitch, Mikiya Tanaka to ground out fastball on the second pitch from 1 ball, and finally Aisuke Mikami to ground out fork on the outside corner struck out from 1 ball 2 strike. runs He also made his second appearance in an actual game closer with no .

◆ Fastest speed: 161 km/h

Taisei was a two-way player, pitcher and fielder, until his first year in the corporate world, and only focused on pitcher from last season, so he has plenty of room to grow. At the Japan Championships held after last year's draft meeting, he recorded his fastest speed of 161 km/h in a match against Yamaha.

Looking at the videos of pitch at the Intercity Championships and the Japan Championships, it appears that at the Japan Championships pitch form was changed to a no-windup when there were no runner, and his form during linear motion (lateral movement) also changed slightly.

When asked why, he explained, "I have someone who gives me personal training, and he has been taking care of me since my university days, so I trust him. I have grown a lot thanks to his training. When I was not feeling well, we had a serious talk, and we trained, and that form felt the best. It was the form that allowed me to perform at my best. I can put it into words, and it would take a long time to explain why I changed it, but I think that form came about as a result of training while understanding it myself."

At the Japan Championships, where he changed pitch form, he recorded his fastest speed of 161 km/h, and revealed, "I think that's the biggest change in my feeling."

During the rookie joint voluntary training held in January, he entered bullpen for the first time on January 15th, throwing 20 pitches with a standing catcher, and then threw for the first time with a sitting catcher on January 22nd, his fourth time in bullpen. During the Miyakonojo spring training camp, he entered bullpen on February 1st and pitched in a live BP on February 11th. He threw a total of 19 pitches against Ryusei Miyazaki and Ko Matsukawa, but did not hit. Ryusei Terachi, who received Daisei's pitch, reflected, "It was a heavy pitch, or rather, it felt like it hit hard, so I think it was good."

Looking at the pitch on the bullpen, breaking ball was throwing a ball with a trajectory close to the fastball, such as cutter and fork. I wonder if you are conscious of the pitch tunnel.

"Yes, I think that's the most important thing. If I'm going to throw a ball that's close to straight, I make sure to keep that in mind when I throw."

Regarding the positioning of breaking ball, he thinks that "all of them are game-winning pitches." "I don't think the professional world is that easy. Basically, the pitches I'm throwing now are pitching well, so I think it's okay to make them all game-winning pitches," he said with determination.

Although he joined the team as the seventh pick in the draft, he is 24 years old and a former university graduate. He is in the same year as Rikuto Yokoyama, Kyuto Ueda and others, and is part of the "2001 generation," so he is expected to contribute immediately.

"They say I'm an immediate asset, but I think that for everyone, it's a one-year game, so I think that pitcher and fielder of any generation aim to produce results from their first year. I'm no different in that regard, and I'm going to keep working hard." First of all, he will aim to make it into the opening day first team and make a strong impression.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita