Starting at second base as the "No. 2 batter" (second baseman), Lotte's Ryusei Ogawa played a flawless game against Chunichi on the 11th, reaching 100 consecutive error-free games since the match against Orix Buffaloes on July 20 of last year, when he took the field at defense.

He has played in 60 games this season, but one of those appearances was as a pinch runner, and he hasn't played in the defense since then, meaning he has played in defense defense in 59 games. He has played 41 consecutive error-free games since the game against Orix Buffaloes on July 20th last year, and his error-free streak extended to 100 games after the game against Chunichi on the 11th.

◆ Finished last season with 41 consecutive games without committing an error.

Ogawa, who had not made an error since the game against Orix Buffaloes on July 19 last year, analyzed the reasons for his error-free performance after the All-Star break in an interview after the end of last season, saying, "It's a feeling, and I think the fact that I was able to correct some of the finer technical aspects from the first half of the season and go into the second half with that in mind led to good results in the second half." He added, "In the first half of the season, I made some simple mistakes and silly errors, so I practiced throughout the season with the goal of eliminating those kinds of mistakes, and as a result, I think it's a good thing that I was able to play without making any mistakes in the second half of the season."

In preparation for this season, at the Miyakonojo spring training camp in February, after the team practice, he took fielding practice at Koala's March Stadium, saying, "I'm preparing thoroughly for both positions so that I can play either one." Just like at last year's Ishigaki Island spring training camp, he took fielding practice at short stop and second baseman. "I tried to approach defense with a different feeling than before, and I worked hard with the goal of improving defense to the next level," he said, as he diligently practiced defense with the aim of further improvement.

◆ No errors in practice games and exhibition games

Even in unofficial practice and exhibition games, he said, "I don't think my ability to play solid between two or two infield has changed since last year, so I haven't made mistakes there, and I think I'm doing it now. On top of that, I've raised my level one more level, sometimes playing at the edge or getting double play, and I'm conscious of it in practice. I hope I can show that a bit more in matches," he said, appearing in 21 defense matches but keeping no mistakes.

In the exhibition game against Hanshin Tigers on March 17, with two outs and a runner on first in the third inning with a score of 1-2, Teruaki Sato's grounder to first and second and a grounder that looked like it could go through right field, was preemptively protected by Teruaki Sato's grounder to right field. second baseman Ogawa catch and throw to first base, resulting in an out. Regarding this defense, Ogawa explained, "I value the batting tendency, the feeling when the ground stands, and what I feel. I felt that positioning there was probably the best way, so I'm glad I went that way."

In the game against the Hanshin Tigers on the same day, with the score tied 2–2 in the 8th inning and one out and a runner on first, he bounce ed Hiyu Motoyama’s short stop half-line drive, second base, and stepped on the base to get the out. He then throw to first base to complete the double play. Did he catch on a bounce, thinking he could turn a double play?

"At first I thought I could catch it without it bounce, but the ball didn't come as close as I expected. Rather than trying to get double play by letting it bounce, I think I was able to get double play because I reacted to the ball well."

◆ Stable defense since the season began

Since the season began, he has secured second baseman position and, using his wide defense range and strong arm, has been routinely showcasing spectacular plays.

On April 25, in Game Softbank Hawks, with one out in the fifth inning and no runner score, the ball hit between first and second in Riku Watanabe, a difficult ball at the boundary between dirt and grass, but he slid and successfully combined bounce to catch to throw to first base and get out. In Game Softbank Hawks that day, he went 5-0 with one out in the eighth inning runner Kensuke Kondo hit between first and second bases, and although first baseman and Raito Ikeda jumped at him, he couldn't catch up, but Ogawa, who was moving in sync with the ball, covered the ball, and throw to Shota Suzuki that had entered the first base cover to get out.

In the game Rakuten Eagles on April 29, with the score 1-2 in the 4th inning with one out and no runner, Hikaru Ota made a diving catch on a ball hit between first and second base, immediately got up, and throw to first base for the out. In the game against Softbank Hawks on May 8, with the score 5-3 in the 8th inning with one out and no runner on base, Kondo hit a ball between first and second base that looked like it would get through to right field, but second second baseman Ogawa, who was positioned behind him, made a diving catch and quickly throw to first base for the out. The following day, in the game against Softbank Hawks on May 9, with the score 4-4 in the 8th inning, Ukyo Shuto, the leadoff batter, hit a ball between first and second base, but Ogawa dove to catch, immediately got up, and throw to first base for the out.

Regarding Ogawa’s play in which he turned Shuto’s ground ball between first and second base into an out (defense), Ogawa commented, “I think plays like that often come down to a hair’s breadth. I don’t really think about it that much, but since I’m able to position myself instinctively once I’m in my spot, I think things are going in the right direction.“However, rather than plays like that, I think the most important thing is to reliably turn the balls hit into outs, as shown here: pitcher. That’s what I’m focusing on,” he said, emphasizing that his priority remains ensuring every hit ball is turned into an out.

This season's infield are mostly younger than Ogawa. He has been saying since last season that he will take the lead in infield, and in an interview on May 12, he stated his resolve, saying, "I think there are a lot of young players, so I want to keep an eye on them and talk to them, not as the leader or anything, but I want to be able to look around and lead them in that way."

Speaking of playing second baseman, he hasn't committed an error since the game against The Giants on June 24th last year, and is currently on an 82-game error-free streak since the game against Softbank Hawks on June 27th last year. "I'm conscious of making sure to get the out on the balls that pitcher has gotten out, and I think I'm doing a good job of that." Today, too, he will be sure to get the out on the balls that pitcher has gotten out.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita