"There were difficult times, but I think being healthy is the most important thing."
Lotte's Gregory Polanco reflected on the first month of the season as follows:
Polanco won the home run title in 1923, his first year with Lotte, becoming Home Run since Hiromitsu Ochiai in 1986 to achieve this feat. The following year, 1924, he hit a team-leading 23 home runs. Last season, he was removed from the first-team roster for the first time since joining the team on May 6, and he moved back and forth between the first and second teams. He was recalled on June 28, and in the game against Softbank Hawks that same day, he hit a home run that he felt was the result of his practice, saying, "If I can hit it towards center fielder field, it's good if it goes to the opposite field." However, after the game against Softbank Hawks on June 29, he injured his right shoulder and was sidelined. He underwent surgery on his right shoulder, and last season he was limited to a career-worst 39 games, finishing the year with a batting average of .201, 5 Home Run, and 13 RBI, feeling he had not performed to his full potential.
He participated in this year's spring training camp from February 1st and played in the first exhibition game against DeNA on February 14th. He played in 14 exhibition games, batting .324 with Home Run and 5 RBI, and had a solid start to the season.
In the opening game against Seibu Lions on March 27, he played "No.4 DH" and in the 2-1 8th inning, with two outs runner and no outs, he hit sinker the third pitch Ryota Itokawa from two balls to the right home run lagoon for his first solo shot of the season. He got off to a great start, but from the second at bat against Seibu Lions on March 29 to the second at bat against Nippon-Ham on April 2, he had 12 consecutive no-hitters.
He got a hit as a hit in the game against Softbank Hawks on April 3rd, and then achieved his first multi-hit game of the season in the game against Softbank Hawks on April 5th. During this period, he was using a "torpedo bat," which has a thicker core than a regular bat.
Polanco explained the reason, saying, "It depends on pitcher 's compatibility and my own condition, so I use them accordingly."
In the game against Nippon-Ham on April 16, with the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 6th inning with two outs and runners on first and third base, he came in as a pinch hitter for Daito Yamamoto and said, "I knew pitcher was throwing runner home." He hit the game-winning RBI single to left field off the third pitch thrown by Yukiya Saito, a 155 km/h fastball on the outside corner, after a 1-ball, 1-strike.
On April 29, against Rakuten Eagles, with no outs runner in the 4th inning of a 1-2 game, he said, "I was able to be aggressive. I didn't think too much and didn't put more effort than I had in the first at bat, so I relaxed and got a good result. Toppo is the best!" said Toppo, who hit fastball, the first pitch Kenta Maeda threw, directly to the light pole for his second solo shot. He hit Home Run directly to the light pole and got a year's worth of Toppo.
In the game Seibu Lions on May 3rd, he had two hit and one RBI, and in the game Orix Buffaloes on May 6th, he came in as a pinch hitter and hit doble down the right field line off Machado.
He joined the spring training camp on February 1st this year, and when asked if his physical condition was better than in previous years, he replied, "I've been in Japan longer than usual. I think my physical condition is better than in previous years."
The team won the opening three-game series against Seibu Lions, but has been struggling since then. "Of course, everyone wants to win, and I think that in order to win, I should do my job properly wherever I'm given the opportunity, so I'll work towards that." The team is struggling with extra-base hits, and hopefully, he can deliver a crucial hit in a key situation.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
