Lotte's Ryusei Terachi shows unparalleled strength against left-handed pitcher.

Last season, he posted a .308 batting average against left-handed pitcher, and this season he has continued to hit them well, with 6 hit in 13 at-At Bat against pitcher, for a .462 batting average. In the game against Softbank Hawks on the 4th, in the 2nd inning with one out and no runner on base, he came to bat for the first time and hit a 144 km/ fastball, the second pitch thrown by Haru Matsumoto after one strike, to center fielder field for hit.

When asked if he felt he was particularly good at facing left-handed pitcher, Terachi replied, "I don't particularly feel like I'm good at it, but I do feel that it's easier for me to get into pitcher with them."

In the game Seibu Lions on March 28, in the 8th inning with two outs and no runner on base, in his fifth at-bat, he hit a good hit to left field off the fourth pitch from left-handed strike Shota Hamaya, a 144 km/ fastball on the outside corner, without forcing it.

"I have a strength in hitting the ball to the opposite field, and I was hitting it well, so I'd like to properly evaluate that and continue to do so."

Speaking of left-handed pitcher, in the game against Nippon-Ham on April 2nd, in the 7th inning with no outs and no runner on base, Kenta Uehara threw the 5th pitch, a 148 km/h fastball on the inside strike, to right field for his first home run of the season, which was great.

In an interview on March 24th, Terachi spoke about his ability to handle inside pitches, saying, "For tough pitches, I think if I can hit them with one hand, or ideally with both hands without letting go, I'll be able to hit more extra-base hits. I think my technique is lacking in that area, so I hope to improve from here on out." Home Run he hit off Uehara in the game against Nippon-Ham looked like he hit an inside fastball with Home Run hands without letting go, spinning it around.

Terachi also reflected, "Yes, at that time I was aiming for an outside straight pitch, but I think it was good that I was able to react well to an inside pitch as well."

Furthermore, since the Miyakonojo training camp in February, he has been committed to "starting his swing early and hitting the ball." Now that regular season has begun, he says, "There are good times and bad times, and that's an area where I need to improve my consistency even more, but my timing for starting my swing has definitely been getting a little better than during the open games, so I hope to improve my consistency from here on out."

◆ Playing as third baseman

While aiming to become the starting catcher this season, he has been getting more starts at starting line-up base since a practice game against Hanwha of South Korea on February 22nd. So far this season, all eight games starting line-up has started have been at third base.

His batting average in the preseason games was .208, but he seems to have found a rhythm and flow in playing third defense, which may be having a positive impact on his hitting.

"I do have some concerns about defense, but I want to keep in mind that my main goal is to improve my batting."

For the team to win, there are high expectations for Terachi's bat, even though he's only in his third year out of high school. "I sometimes can't get hits in clutch situations, but I want to do my best to fulfill the role and job I've been given and be the number one player to win." We hope he'll keep hitting those game-win hit.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita