Orix Buffaloes 's Tomoya Mori has been improving his batting form. This is his fourth year since exercising his domestic free agent (FA) rights from Seibu Lions. In his final year under contract, he is focusing on a battle against himself.
"It's not often that you can hit them on purpose, so I'm really happy. For the first one, I connected with fork forkball without putting too much power into it, and it turned out really well. For the second one, I was able to hit the inside pitch that I really wanted to hit, just as I intended." Moritomo, who hit two Home Run in the game against Nippon-Ham on May 8th (Kyocera Dome) and contributed to the team's four-game winning streak, spoke with excitement.
This season, he is approaching it with unwavering determination. Last season, his third year with the team, he suffered two leg injuries, resulting in his worst career performance with a batting average of .250, 1 Home Run, and 14 RBI in just 50 games. "I couldn't do anything for the team." For Tomoya Mori, who hit .294 with Home Run in his first year with the team in 2023 and played a major role in the team's three consecutive league championships, not being able to contribute to the team's win was nothing but frustrating. He volunteered to participate in the Kochi training camp last fall. During his independent training in Okinawa, he shaved his head and swung the bat with all his might.
At the Miyazaki training camp this spring, Moritomo inscribed the single character "闘" (fight) on an ema (votive tablet) he dedicated to the Odo Shrine. "It means fighting against myself," he revealed. Considering that he inscribed "躍動" (dynamism) in his first year and "健康" (health) in his second and third years, it's clear that he's determined to do well this season.
However, his batting performance in the early part of the season wasn't what he had hoped for. He started the season with a batting average of .214 and 0 Home Run runs in the preseason, and his batting average was exactly .100 as of April 10th. However, a month later, on May 10th, he had raised his numbers to a batting average of .265 and Home Run.
Moritomo confessed that his hitting performance during this period was "a constant cycle of good and bad. I was feeling frustrated the whole time." What finally dispelled that frustration was the game against Lotte on May 4th (Kyocera Dome). In the 6th inning, with the score tied 0-0 and one out with a runner on first, he hit a go-ahead double to left-center field off pitcher Kazuya Ojima. "I don't know why I was able to hit it, so I need some time to sort it out, but when I can hit a strong ball to the opposite field or a strong line drive drive over short stop 's head, that's my barometer of my condition." Later, Moritomo explained the result of his sort-out, saying, "When I hit the ball at the point I envisioned, the ball went the way I envisioned." He reflected, "There was a part of me that was impatient, and I was swinging hard even when my timing was off. That one hit was a great turning point for me."
His batting style has also changed. "Lately, I think I've been able to differentiate between situations where I should swing hard and situations where I should just make contact. I've started getting some hits, so I think I've gained a little more confidence and can make those judgments," said Moritomo. "I really think this is just the beginning. It may be difficult to keep getting hits, but I want to keep this feeling in mind and focus on the quality of my hitting." He is determined to win for the team and rack up hit to make up for last season's losses.
Interview and text by Masaki Kitano
