【Buffaloes Inside】

Turning disaster into blessing -Orix Buffaloes 's Shumpeita Yamashita pitcher curve has become even more powerful with the form correction he worked on to combat back pain. With the new pitch "Slatter", the range of pitch has expanded, and he aims for the opening pitcher for the first time in three years in perfect mental and physical condition.

"By lowering my arm angle, the curveball has more bite. I thought that changing my form would reduce the rotation and make it less like a curveball, but it has become faster and sharper. It's a power curveball." Yamashita puffed out his chest more than usual.

pitcher ERA A big right-hander with a top speed of 160 km/h, 190 cm and 100 kg, Yamashita joined Orix Buffaloes from Fukuoka Ohori High School in the first round of the 2020 draft, and has struggled with back pain since his second year as his body matured. He was also a member of the National League All-Star team last season. Last season, he left the game after experiencing some discomfort in the opening game and spent most of the season in the second base.

During this time, he continued rehabilitation with weight training and stretching to combat his lower back pain. Last year, through Masataka Yoshida (Red Sox), he learned training methods from Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Athens Olympics hammer throw gold medalist, and he also learned how to use his body at the "Konoike Sports Academy" run by athlete trainer Toshiharu Konoike.

Correcting his pitching form was part of that. When he threw, his left shoulder was dropping, but he corrected the alignment of his shoulder to be horizontal to reduce the strain on his lower back. With his spine now perpendicular to the ground, the strain on his lower back has been reduced, and Yamashita explains, "The tightness in my lower back that I used to feel after every throw is gone. I think it means that my body is rotating on a good axis."

The improvement in his curveball's sharpness came from correcting his pitching form. With the new form, the tilt of his upper body was corrected, which naturally lowered his release point, allowing him to release the ball closer to hitter and thus adding more power to the ball. In high school, following the coach's vision for his future, he only threw fastball and curveballs in games, which allowed his already top-notch curveball to shine even brighter.

"Until now, I've been throwing curves by 'releasing' them from above, so I thought that lowering the release point would reduce the spin rate, but actually, the spin rate increased because the release point moved forward," Yamashita said. He said that the spin rate of his curves in bullpen used to be 2700-2800, but it has increased to 3000, and he has received praise from hitter he has faced in intrasquad games and other matches, who say that the ball "drops quickly and sharply."

When asked about the highly anticipated opening day pitcher, Yamashita gave a nonchalant response: "I don't put that much emphasis on it. I aim to be the opening day starter and adjust my training accordingly, but if it doesn't work out, I'll just adjust it. Whether it's the second or third game, the goal remains the same: to get off to a good start. My contribution to the team is to play a full season and rack up wins."

"I wonder what I was doing during those two years (when rehabilitation continued)." Now that he is in perfect condition with no worries about his back, his determination for his sixth year is strong.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano