◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 7-11 Softbank Hawks (December 12, ES CON FIELD)

Softbank Hawks 's guardian deity, Kazuki Sugiyama pitcher (28), has been sidelined for a long time due to a fracture in his left hand. After the Nippon-Ham game (Escon) on the 11th, he was frustrated with his own pitch and was injured by beating the bench. The team won 5 consecutive matches unscathed in the Nippon-Ham match in a heavy mood where the closer was canceled from the player registration. Taiga Kamichatani pitcher (29), who was in third place, pitched three innings without runs and scored a white star for the first time in 736 days, and the batting game also led to a season-high 17 hit and 11 runs.

An unexpected situation has occurred: their closer is sidelined for an extended period. Sugiyama, who won the save title last season with 31 saves, fractured his left hand after punching the bench after a game on the 11th. He was removed from the active roster that day. "I think it's partly my responsibility that I couldn't prevent it," said manager Kokubo with a grim expression.

The incident occurred after his appearance on the 11th. He pitched in the 9th inning with a four-run lead, in a situation where he wouldn't get a save, but runs two hit and one Walk, resulting in one run. This season, he has runs in three of his seven appearances, and ERA is 9.00. His continued poor performance caused him to explode with frustration in the dugout after the game. He was examined at a hospital on the 11th and left the team that morning to return to Fukuoka.

Sugiyama has always had a tendency to get easily heated, and the commander explained, "This isn't the first time he's acted out of frustration. It was something that was predictable given his personality. Of course, we had warned him before, but he still did it. He can't control himself with reason. He seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation when he looked at his hands." He added, "Trust can be destroyed in an instant. We'll have to rebuild it from scratch again," expressing his hope that Sugiyama would recover from his injury and make a comeback.

The "Tree of Trees," last season's win formula, has completely fallen apart. Koya Fujii (29) underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow in February, meaning he's out for the season. Sugiyama has also been ruled out, and the remaining pitcher, Yuki Matsumoto (29), hasn't been in top form since joining the team after the WBC. bullpen, which was once considered the strongest, looks set to become the Achilles' heel in their bid for a third consecutive league championship.

◇Notable pitcher suffered fractures after being beaten after being taken out of the game

▼Toshiya Sugiuchi (Daiei) After being knocked out of a game against Lotte on June 1, 2004 (at Fukuoka Dome) after giving up 7 runs in the 2nd inning, he punched the dugout and fractured both his hands. Regular catcher Kenji Johjima shouted at him, "Don't use your dominant hand!"

▼Spencer Patton (DeNA) On August 3, 2019, in a game The Giants (Yokohama), he took the mound in the 8th inning but was replaced without recording a single out. After leaving the mound, he punched a refrigerator in the first base dugout with both fists, fracturing his right little finger. The team imposed a fine of 5 million yen on him.

▼ Naoya Masuda (Lotte) Just two saves away from his 250th career save, he suffered his second consecutive blown save in a game against Rakuten on August 19, 2013 (at ZOZO Rakuten Eagles Stadium). Immediately after being taken out of the game, he punched the dugout with his dominant right hand. He then punched the dugout again in the locker room with his left hand, fracturing it.

*Affiliation and stadium name are as of that time.