Lotte's Tokito Kawamura started the game against Seibu Lions on April 10th, pitching 6 innings and throwing 92 pitches, closer only one runs. Since then, he has been adjusting in the minor leagues.

In the minor leagues, he said, "I've been able to keep my pitch count closer recently, so I think it's going well." Although he threw 105 pitches in 5 1/3 innings in Rakuten Eagles minor league game on May 5th, he has been pitching long innings with a low pitch count in games such as 6 innings and 61 pitches in Yakult minor league game on April 17th, 6 innings and 67 pitches in Softbank Hawks game on April 28th, 6 innings and 76 pitches in the Yakult minor league game on May 14th, 4 innings and 59 pitches in the Seibu Lions minor league game on May 23rd, and 6 innings and 97 pitches in the Hiroshima minor inning game on May 30th.

What is worrisome is that he is a little unstable at the beginning of the inning: he started the first inning closer against Hiroshima Nigun on May 30 with three men, but he started the inning runs against Nigun on May 23 Seibu Lions and again runs against Nigun on May 5 Rakuten Eagles. In an interview on May 29 last year, he said, "It's not a very positive thing, simply because I've come in too loose in the early innings. It's difficult to adjust, and I'm trying to change the way I enter the game," he said.

When asked about the specific changes he's made, he said, "Things like how I use my time, how many pitches I throw, and so on." He also mentioned that he's been "changing the number of pitches I throw in bullpen before games, sometimes more, sometimes fewer, and changing the order of my warm-ups."

"I think the first time is quite challenging," Kawamura said, adding that once he gets past the first time, he's able to do well in subsequent rounds.

One notable aspect of Kawamura's pitch this season is his shooting. On May 23, in the Seibu Lions farm league game, he got the leadoff Reon Murata in the fourth inning with a 2-1 lead shot on the first pitch, grounding out to third with an inside shot.

He revealed, "I throw quite a few shots. I'm also conscious of the type of out I want, and I prefer ground outs, so that's what I'm aiming for."

While throwing sinkers, he also feels confident about fastball, which he throws to the inside corner against right-handed hitter, saying, "I think I'm able to hit where I'm aiming."

Regarding the speed of fastball, he explained, "It hasn't been that fast lately, but I've been getting more called struck out, and I'm at a stage where I want to expand the range of my pitching. Right now I'm not worried about speed and I'm just focusing on throwing the ball where I want it to go."

By throwing a sinker to the inside corner against right-handed hitter, he seems to have increased the variety of his pitch, including slider and fork.

"If the batter is focused on the sinker, slider will move in the opposite direction, so I think it will be effective if they are aware of that."

There's a feeling that he'll show a different side of himself in the first team. "I'm thinking it would be good if I could increase the number of pitches I throw, so if my fastball isn't working well, I think I can throw more sinkers. As pitcher, I'm trying to increase the number of closer so that I can have a variety of ways to get outs."

As mentioned earlier, in the minor leagues, he's been able to pitch long inning with a low pitch count. "I'm able to pitch well wherever I'm asked to, and I'm able to inning inning I'm told to. I think I'm not doing too badly." He's ready to be called up to the first team at any time.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita