"I think I've been able to take the first step, and I'm glad that I've been able to get this far without any major injuries."

Lotte's third-round draft pick, Raito Okumura (Yokohama High School), made his regular season debut in a game against the Yomiuri Giants' The Giants league team on the 10th.

Okumura, who reached mound in the sixth inning with the score at 3-3, swung off the leadoff pitcher Shinnosuke Yamase from 2 strike on the fourth pitch at 120 km/h change-up struck out. He recorded his first professional out, struck out. Next, Takuya Gun's fastball was deflected in front of left field, and Dai Yuasa held on for 10 pitches, Walk. He put runners on first and second in a pinch but retired Ryū Mitsuka on the slider of the strike first and second pitches, making his farm team debut regular season 1 inning with 18 pitches, allowing 1 hit, 1 strike out, 1 BB, and no runs.

Regarding breaking ball that day, including striking out Yamase with struck out change-up, Okumura reflected, "I didn't throw many breaking ball in high school, so while my breaking ball is important, I don't think I can rely solely on it. I need to hone my off-speed pitches. In that sense, getting a swing and a miss gave me some confidence."

On the other hand, regarding fastball he had honed during his high school days, he was not satisfied, saying, "I can get foul balls with it, but I can't get swings and misses, so I think I still have a lot of work to do to improve it."

Did he identify any areas for improvement or gain any valuable insights from actually facing professional hitter?

"I think I need to get used to the professional strike zone. Also, if I focus too much on strike zone, even if I throw a good pitch, it will get hit, so I want to find the right balance."

◆ "I need to get to the point where I can throw the ball into the game."

As a first-year high school graduate, how he spends his time now is crucial for a long and successful career as a professional baseball player. What kind of self-imposed challenges does he face during his daily practice?

"Among my classmates who graduated from high school, I haven't pitched the most, so I need to be patient, but I also need to make sure I do what I need to do properly. I need to be aware that I haven't pitched the most. I think there must be a reason for that, so I need to find out what it is and work towards being given the opportunity to pitch in games."

Okumura made his professional debut in a The Giants minor league game on the 10th, but his draft classmate and fellow high school graduate who turned pro, Genki Ishigaki (Kenta Takasaki High School), has already pitched in 5 games for the farm team, and Yuto Nakayama (Mito Keimei High School), the first-round developmental draft pick, has also pitched in 2 games.

Of course, what's important now is important, but it's also crucial to consider how to connect what he's working on now to the future. In that sense, at practice at Lotte Urawa Baseball Stadium on the 19th, he played catch with fourth-year player Riku Kikuchi, and after catch, he chatted with him. He's not only talking to Kikuchi, but also to various other players, showing his eagerness to learn.

"The senior players at Lotte are very helpful and will answer any questions I have. For example, there are senior players from the first team at the training sessions, so I hope to be able to ask them questions as I go along."

This insatiable ambition is reminiscent of Atsuki Taneichi when he first turned pro. When Taneichi was a young starter, he would observe bullpen pitch at bullpen Urawa during his retention practice, thinking, "So this is what they're focusing on," based on what he had been taught beforehand by the senior pitcher. I wonder if Okumura will also observe when the first-team starter starter enter bullpen during their retention practice sessions.

"I've been watching (my seniors' bullpen) and having Kojima (Kazuya) watch me. I think I can learn something by having people with various experiences watch me, rather than just relying on my own feelings, so I'm asking a lot of questions as I go along. I think being able to ask a lot of questions and see what works and what doesn't is one of the advantages of being a high school graduate. I think I can still make mistakes, so I want to try out a lot of different things."

In a few years, I hope he'll listen to various stories from coaches and senior players to expand his knowledge and develop into "pitcher Raito Okumura" so that he can play an active role in the first team.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita