Orix Buffaloes pitcher Kosei Yoshida, who has returned from Tommy John (TJ) surgery, is making a smooth comeback, recording one hold in two games immediately after returning to the first team.

"If the closer had come up in that situation, people would have thought Machado was the only one in the bullpen. I felt I had to closer properly to avoid being underestimated by the opposing team." Yoshida puffed out his chest a little.

Looking back at the May 5th game against Lotte (Kyocera Dome). In the ninth, with a 6-0 lead, the third pitcher pitcher gave up a run, giving up a chance to pitch with one out and a runner on first. Although there was a point difference, accumulating runs could affect the next day's match, so we had to closer momentum. Here, Yoshida finished the game set with a curveball on the first pitch, putting the pitch to 2-1 at double play.

In his first appearance on the first-team mound in 574 days, Yoshida also got out of a jam with just one pitch in the game against Nippon-Ham on April 25th. With the score 4-1 in the 7th inning with two outs and bases loaded, he struck out the third batter Franmil Reyes with a 142km inside sinker for a foul fly ball.

"It was a situation where even a single hit would result in two runs. They have power, so I thought I had to throw a tough sinker properly. It's a pitch I learned after coming to Orix Buffaloes, but I don't usually make mistakes when throwing it, so I didn't have any bad feelings about it and just threw it normally," Yoshida recalled. Manager Mamoru Kishida praised him, saying, "He stopped that difficult situation with just one pitch. That completely stopped the opponent's momentum. To be able to throw that pitch to that spot on the first pitch shows high skill and courage." pitcher coach Kazuyuki Atsuzawa, who has known Yoshida since his time as a coach at Nippon-Ham, also sent him out with complete confidence, saying, "He has helped me out many times since we started working together again at Orix Buffaloes. Being able to attack the inside corner from the first pitch is one of his strengths."

In a "one-pitch relief" game, catcher 's leadership is also crucial. In a game against Nippon-Ham Fighters, when asked by Kenya Wakatsuki on mound during pitcher change, "What should we throw?", he replied, "Let's go with a sinker." It's a pitch he's confident in. In a game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on June 29, 2024 (at Zozo Marine Stadium), with the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on first and third, he threw a sinker to get a ground ball to third base, and in extra inning, Yutaro Sugimoto hit a two-run homer, securing a "one-pitch win." Wakatsuki was the catcher in that game as well.

In the game against Lotte on the 5th, Tomoya Mori gave him the sign for a curveball on the first pitch. "We weren't talking on mound, and he just gave me the sign. I was a little taken aback, but if even pitcher is taken aback, I thought the batter would hate it if I could throw it properly," Yoshida recalled with a smile.

It's been about a year and two months since his Tommy John surgery. "I still feel some discomfort and stiffness, but even at the same velocity range as before, the ball feels different, so I think my velocity will naturally increase once that heals." He throws with pride as reliever who leads his team to win.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano