◆Farm League Rakuten Eagles 1-1 Yakult (8th, Shinrindori Izumi)

Rakuten Eagles Tomohito Sakai pitcher (33) pitched in a Farm League game on August 8 and went one inning without a no to . Yakult hit runs closer

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Sakui is steadily making his way to a full recovery. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in March 2013 and returned to active play in March 2014. He has appeared in a total of seven games in the farm league, with a record of 0 wins and 0 losses and an ERA of 1.42. We took a critical look at his current pitch.

"If I were to rate my game performance on a scale of 100, I'd say it's probably around 60 to 70 when you take everything into account. My power output isn't there yet, and so is everything. Including breaking ball, I'm not fully extending my arm, and I'm not using my body to its full potential. But I understand that, including my physical condition, so I'll keep working on it as I continue pitching."

For the right-handed pitcher, who has appeared in a total of 318 NPB games, this was his first surgery. He must have been terrified of having his right elbow, his "tool of the trade," cut open. Nevertheless, he swallowed his feelings at the time, saying, "There was nothing I could do."

"I knew I was going to waste a year, so of course I was scared. But I went through a lot of attempts to improve my condition before the surgery, and it was the decision I made. There was nothing else I could do, so I think I had no choice but to go under the knife."

After a long period of rehabilitation and days away from the first team, there were expectations from those around him that his "time off" would be a positive thing. However, Sakui deliberately rejected this "heartwarming story" and revealed his honest feelings.

"To be honest, I don't think I'll be able to see if it's been a positive thing until I get results. No matter how much I train and practice, that's just self-satisfaction. If the results are good, then I can see it as a positive thing, but at this stage, the fact that I haven't been able to pitch (in the first team) is a big factor, so it might be a negative. To be frank, saying that it was good to have experienced the hardships of rehabilitation is probably too idealistic right now."

What he sought after the surgery wasn't his "original self," but a new self. He's working on strengthening his physique while also exploring pitch form that puts less strain on his body.

He said, "My last pitch form was one that put a lot of strain on my elbows. It is a prerequisite that I want to throw with a form that does not strain my shoulders and elbows, and I am in the process of working on my form in parallel."

In April, he mainly pitched every six days. Going forward, he will gradually shorten the intervals between his appearances and move up the ranks. "Before, it took me a long time to recover (after pitching), but it's getting faster and faster, so looking at the bigger picture, I'm getting much better." One step at a time, surely. The reliable reliever will not stop moving forward until he proves his full recovery. (Kota Miyauchi)