"Things aren't as good as when I first started to rise. But I'm doing my best to do one good deed a day."

Lotte's Koki Yamaguchi offers this self-assessment of his current batting performance, but since being recalled to the first team, he has been making his presence felt with his bat.

Yamaguchi hit a team-high 16 Home Run in 2022 and 14 Home Run the following year in 2023. Last season, he hit 7 home runs, including Pacific League League record-tying four consecutive Home Run, but he only played in 35 games.

Looking ahead to this season, he underwent rigorous training at Zozo Marine Stadium and other locations during his self-training in January. Reflecting on the spring training camp in Miyakonojo in February, he said, "I was able to finish without any injuries, so that was good." He added, "I want to hit for power, and I think it's necessary to consistently hit for extra bases, rather than just trying to hit them. There's a possibility that I might play other first baseman besides first base, so I'm preparing for both. First of all, I think I need to make an impression with my hitting."

"I think it's important for me to live each day without regrets, so I'll do my best to prepare for the games and hopefully get some results," he said, expressing his determination as he entered the exhibition games. In a practice game against Yakult on February 15, in his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with no outs and no runner on base, he hit a massive home run to left field off the second pitch, a fastball thrown by Shoji Kota after a 1-ball count. Then, in a practice game against Hanwha of Korea on February 22, he had a spectacular performance with 3 hit 4 RBI. Even after the open season began, he continued to impress for the opening of the season with 2 hit and 1 RBI in a game Rakuten Eagles on March 5.

In an interview on March 14, Yamaguchi muttered, "It's been a mixed bag, I guess." When asked about his good performance in the March 7 game against Nippon-Ham, where he hit doble double to right-center field off a 140 km/ cutter thrown by Tamon Asari on the second pitch of his first at-bat in the second runner with no outs and no runners on base, he showed his determination by saying, "I'm continuing to do what I've been working on in training camp. I think all I really need to do is produce results in games."

Since the start of actual games, he has been playing in outfield more often, not just first baseman. "I'm starting line-up in outfield more often than I'm starting at first baseman, so on the 13th (March), I caught in outfield, and on the 14th (March), I only caught at first baseman. I think I need to do well at both positions, and if I can do both, I think it will broaden my range as a player."

He grabbed the first team for the opening day of the season and appeared starting line-up in the 4th position first baseman against Softbank Hawks on April 3, but was removed from the first team roster on April 19. After his demotion to the second team, he appeared in 15 games and had a .300 batting average, 3 Home Run and 6 RBI, when Kyota Fujiwara, a player of the same grade, left the team due to injury. Replacing Fujiwara, Yamaguchi returned to the Ichigun on May 12.

He immediately appealed with his bat. starting line-up On the same day against Nippon-Ham, he appeared at the plate in the 6th position in left field, and with 0-0 in the 2nd inning and no outs runner, he hit a 151 km fastball pitch, the third pitch Hiromi Ito he threw from 1 ball 1 strike, back to left field and lit up the "H" light in his first at bat after his promotion.

The following day, in the game against Nippon-Ham on the 13th, in the 7th inning with one out and a runner on second base, he came to bat for his third time and said, "I didn't think it would go in, but I'm glad. I'm happy. I'm really happy that I got a result." He slammed the fourth pitch, fastball thrown by Ren Ren Fukushima with a 2-ball, 1-strike, into the front row of the left field stands for his first home run of the season, a two-run shot.

runner On May 20, against Seibu Lions, he said, "I'm glad I was able to get the first hit. Shinya Sugai said, "I'm glad I was able to get the first hit. slider, the seventh pitch he threw from 1 ball 2 strike, was his second solo shot. Rakuten Eagles on May 22, "It was perfect! Thanks to Masunosuke. I got it at the sushi restaurant Shota Suzuki took me to yesterday!" And in the 5th inning, 1-1, with one out runner and no outs, Daichi Shibata threw a 151 km fastball from 1 ball to the lucky zone in the left field stand for the final No. 3 solo shot.

Furthermore, the following day, on the 23rd, he hit a solo home run for the third consecutive game against Rakuten Eagles, and then on the Rakuten Eagles, in the 9th inning with no outs and no runner on base, in his fifth at-bat, he hit a 152 km/h fastball, the sixth pitch thrown by Shoma Fujihira with a 2-ball, 2-strike, into the left-center field stands for his fifth solo home run, his fourth in four consecutive games. In that game, he showed the remarkable feat of hitting four hit in a single game.

Even after the interleague games began, in the game against Hiroshima on May 27, he said, "I felt good hitting in my first two at-bats, but I couldn't get on base, so in this at-bat, I was thinking about getting on base as the leadoff batter. I'm glad that it worked out well." In his third at-bat in the 6th inning with no outs and no runner on base, with the score 0-2, he hit slider thrown by Shohei Mori on a 1-ball, 1-strike count into a solo home run to the foul pole, his 6th of the season.

◆ The importance of preparation

Yamaguchi values daily "preparation" and spends his days accordingly. "I think it's important to take care of myself, both physically and mentally, by stretching when I get home and taking long baths. In the mornings, I make sure to take care of the parts of my body that tend to stiffen up so that I can be 100% ready for practice. I also hit off a tee with batting pitcher Fukushima in the mornings to check how I'm feeling for the day. For me, preparation means making sure that what I continue to do becomes my own style." (Interviewed on March 14)

Recently, before pre-game practice, he can be seen silently hitting long batting practice from the third base dugout towards the left field foul pole. "Right now, I'm doing long batting practice, and I'm constantly working with Mr. Fukushima to see if I'm hitting with my lower body working in conjunction with my upper body, and to check the bat's movement. He gives me very precise advice," he says, expressing his gratitude to batting pitcher and game analyst Akihiro Fukushima.

Could the results of this "confirmation" be leading to a surge in Home Run production?

"Yes, I think it's the result of what I do in the mornings and what I've been doing diligently."

He has been playing as the cleanup hitter for seven consecutive games since Rakuten Eagles game on May 24th. "I believe that if I don't do my best today, there won't be a tomorrow, so I want to focus on each day, the game I'm playing in, and do my best each day without thinking too far ahead." His consistent performance will come from his sincere daily preparation and his dedication to each game. We hope he will graduate from being a "promising long-ball hitter" and become a "steadfast cleanup hitter" by the end of the season.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita