Orix Buffaloes pitcher Alen Kuri will start on June 14 against Hanshin Tigers at Kyocera Dome, after only four days of rest. This will be his first start on four days' rest in three years, since his time with Hiroshima in 2023, and he will be closing out the interleague series with the team aiming to win the series.
"It's the same as always. There's nothing special about it. I'm not going to change anything. I'm just going to prepare thoroughly for the game." The day before his appearance on the mound, Kuri repeated the same words to reporters' questions without changing his expression.
In the world of professional baseball, where restrictions such as pitching intervals and pitch numbers are often imposed to prevent injuries and protect players, Kuri stands out as an unusual presence. starter In that case, pitching with a '6-day in-game' is the norm, but pitching with a '5-day' or '4-day in-game' is also acceptable. At spring camp, he threw 350 pitches on the first day and 210 on the third day. Manager Mamoru Kishida showed such toughness that he said, "It's a bit special, you know, the stamina."
This was his first appearance in four days of rest, his first in three years since his time with Hiroshima in the game against Mazda on September 3, 2023, against Chunichi. That year, after starting (3 innings, 35 pitches) in the second game of the All-Star Game held at home on July 20, he pitched in the second half of the season on July 25 against Mazda in Game Yakult, contributing to the team's win with hit 8 and 3 runs innings, showing his experience of having 4 days off.
Orix Buffaloes However, last season—his first with the team—he made the bench on June 22 for the final Interleague game against the Yakult (at Jingu Stadium) on just three days’ rest.He had started the game against the Chunichi on June 18 (at Vantelin Dome), pitching four innings and throwing 77 pitches. Although he did not pitch in that game, he was on standby as a reliever in the “must-win” lineup to close out the Interleague Play.Kuri subsequently started the game against the Rakuten Eagles on June 27 (Kyocera Dome) following the Interleague series. Although he was on standby (bullpen), he effectively pitched on four days’ rest. In that game, he pitched 8 1/3 innings, threw 136 pitches, and earned his sixth win.
This "four-day rest" appearance was scheduled to take into account the four-day rest period after the interleague games. What supports this unusual appearance is not only his exceptional physical strength and injury-free nature, but also his strong "team spirit" that makes him want to lend his strength as much as possible when the team is in trouble or playing an important game.
"We're going to have Kuri close out the interleague series. There may be a limit on the number of pitches he can throw, but given the current situation of the team, we felt we couldn't take away his courage when he said, 'I'll do it,' and we wanted to respect that," said pitcher coach Kazuyuki Atsuzawa. Manager Kishida also said, "Kuri showed his courage by saying, 'Let me go,' so we'll let him." Pacific League has been doing well in the interleague series, and the team has been struggling, so they can't afford to widen the gap with the top teams any further. The coaching staff's desire to help the team by having him pitch, and Kuri's desire to always live up to expectations, naturally aligned.
"The manager and coaches have told me, 'We're counting on you.' I'm really happy to be entrusted with that responsibility. I'll do my best, just like before, to pitch as many inning as possible, and to face as many hitter as I can." This season, Orix Buffaloes pitcher staff, both starters and reliever, will be putting all their strength into the game, and "Iron Arm Allen" will be leading the charge.
Interview and text by Masaki Kitano
