"Now that the season is over, I think it's important to be where I am right now, so I'm not worried about anything at this time of year. I'm just focusing on what I can do, and I'm doing my best every day with that in mind."

Lotte's Ryusei Ogawa reached the required number of plate appearances on May 24th, and rose to the top of the league in batting average. As of the end of the 2nd, he is leading the league with a batting average of .309.

He currently leads the league in batting average, but says, "I'm not worried about it," believing that being in this position at the end of the season is what matters.

Ogawa's trademark is his "tenacious hitting," where he makes pitcher throw a lot of pitches before getting a hit or Walk. However, this season he's been aggressively swinging from early in count. Looking at his statistics by count, his count average at 0-0 is .500 (10 At Bat 20 hit), count 0-1 is .368 (7 At Bat 19 hit), and count 1-0 is .500 (5 At Bat 10 hit), showing that he often takes action early in count.

"Compared to last year, I'm more conscious of hitting the easy pitches early in count, and I think that's leading to good results."

Another thing that's noteworthy is the increase hit hit only to the opposite field but also to right field. In the game against Hiroshima on May 28th, in the 5th inning with one out and a runner on second base, Takeshi Masuda hit a timely single to right field off fork thrown after one strike. In the game Yakult on the 2nd, where he had two hit, one to first base and one to right field, both were pulled hit.

In an interview on May 12th, he said, "I don't particularly think about pulling the ball, but I'm able to pull it as a result because I'm making good swings in terms of timing and timing. Rather than forcing myself to pull the ball, I'd like to increase the number of pulled balls that are hit to the right course and timing within my own swing." Given that he said he pulls the ball to the right course and timing, does that mean he hasn't changed anything about his batting?

"Last year, I was focused on hitting the ball to the opposite field from the start, but now I'm trying to swing harder and hit the ball at my own sweet spot. I've been changing my batting form since last fall, lifting my leg, and doing various other things. There were times when I couldn't hit well even after the season started, but I think it's good that I was able to correct those issues and hit the ball at my own sweet spot. I'm consciously working on things like timing."

In previous articles, we've covered how he changed his form to a more compact one to eliminate waste and improve consistency since the spring training camp in Miyakonojo last November, and how he changed his timing to get two hit in the April 15th game against Nippon-Ham, but it seems that the core of his game hasn't changed.

Last season, third baseman were positioned quite far forward to guard against safety bunts, but this season they've managed three safety bunt hit. Could this be because there's been an increase in pulled balls, causing the opposing team's position to change?

"I don't feel like it's changed that much, but every time I step up to bat, the bench and catcher tell me there's a bunt at third and first baseman, so I think they're being wary of that. I'll decide based on their positioning and the situation."

The consistent efforts we've made so far this season have paid off. As Ogawa said, what matters is where we stand at the end of the season. We'll stay focused and continue to prepare thoroughly for each match.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita