Lotte's José Castillo took mound at Zozo Marine Stadium, his home field, for the first time in regular season against Softbank Hawks on the 28th.
"Of course, there's a small chance it could change, but I'm thinking of going with King Gnu."
Castillo pitched in the 12th inning with a 3-3 tie, and without changing his entrance song, he made his first home mound on King Gnu's 'SPECIALZ.' On May 9, during his appearance in the farm league game against The Giants at Zozo Marine Stadium, he also used King Gnu's 'SPECIALZ' as his walk-up song. I wonder if he likes Japanese music.
"First of all, I love Japanese music. The song I'm playing now is from my favorite anime, 'Jujutsu Kaisen,' but I was actually torn between this song and a song from 'Attack on The Giants'," he revealed. When asked why he chose the theme song for 'Jujutsu Kaisen' instead of 'Attack on The Giants,' he explained, "The song from 'Attack on The Giants' is a bit too dark, and I thought it might not be suitable for a match, so I decided on the other song I liked."
Appearing to his favorite song, Castillo got the leadoff Taisei Makihara on the first strike and grounded out the second pitch at 136 km/h slider, then swung Kenta Imamiya struck out on the fourth pitch at 139 km/h slider from 1 ball to 2 strike. Finally, he got Yuki Yanagita off the 1st strike on the second pitch, finishing the 1-inning in just 8 pitches.
◆ Efforts to adapt to Japanese baseball
Castillo, who joined the team this season, played for four MLB teams last season: the Diamondbacks, Mets, Mariners, and Orioles. He pitched a total of 29 games and 32 innings across the four teams, compiling a record of 2 wins and 2 losses ERA of 3.94.
Castillo, who was expected to be a key part of the relief pitching staff, threw 21 pitches in a friendly match against the Czech Republic on February 26, but said, "At that time, it was about control. My goal was to throw the ball properly into strike zone, so it's not always like that, and at that time I was checking with myself as I threw." 17 of his pitches were pitch, such as fastball pitches and two seam fastball fastballs.
He had said, "It's now March and the open games have started. Up until now, we've been focusing on trying things out in practice games, but now I'd like to shift gears and start using movements that I'll actually use in real games," but then he injured his left leg in an open game against Orix Buffaloes on March 11, and the next day he was diagnosed with a "left hamstring injury" at the hospital and had to leave the game.
He made his first appearance in an official minor league game against the Yomiuri Giants' The Giants league regular season on May 9th, and has since pitched in four games in the minor leagues. While he had set goals for himself during practice games, in the minor leagues he said, "I took each appearance in consultation with my body, and first and foremost, I focused on pitching in good condition. Secondly, I tried to understand the characteristics of the batters, and since I hadn't seen many Japanese batters before, I studied them. I had several themes in mind while pitching in the minor leagues," analyzing his physical condition and the tendencies of Japanese hitter.
He joined the first team for the game against Rakuten Eagles on June 19th, and was promoted to the first team for the first time since coming to Japan on June 21st. He made his first appearance in Japan against Nippon-Ham on June 23rd, saying, "First of all, I think the biggest thing for me was being able to return, thanks to the coaches, trainers, and teammates."
At the time of the interview on March 3, he said, "I'm throwing really good two seam fastball and slider," but now he explains, "I'm still using the two-seam two seam fastball, but when I pitched it in Japanese baseball, I got the impression that two seam fastball weren't swinging at it as much. Now I'm hoping to use four seam fastball just as much. I'm hoping to use slider in the same way."
Castillo closer a scoreless runs in his second appearance with the first team since coming to Japan. With the relief pitchers working overtime since the start of the season, it would be very reassuring if Castillo could pitch at the same level as pitcher who will be pitching in "winning games" from now on. "Whether we're winning or losing, I'll just throw with all my might wherever Manager Saburo and the coaches tell me to, and I'll keep throwing with all my might for the team." He loves Japanese manga and is working hard to adapt to Japanese baseball. Another reliable man has joined bullpen.
(Interpreter pitcher José Castillo: Ricky Santos Takata)
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
