"I hadn't been able to get a hit in several games, so I was glad to be able to get one in a clutch situation."

Lotte's Atsuki Tomosugi hit a valuable RBI single in Game Rakuten Eagles on the 1st. Ryusei Terachi scored two runs with a timely doble and other factors, and in the third at-bat with one out and runners on second in the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead, Ryota Takinaka rebounded a 145 km/h fastball thrown from the second strike to right field, bringing in second-runner Terachi.

◆ Also performed well at batting.

Although Tomosugi has had his ups and downs this season, he had a batting average of .340 by the end of April, and after Kyota Fujiwara was sidelined due to injury, he was entrusted with batting order first or second. After the game against The Giants on June 7th, he reached the required number of plate appearances and ranked 8th in the league with a batting average of .283, showing that he is performing well.

In the games against Chunichi on June 11 and DeNA on June 12, he won walk-off, but in the game Chunichi on June 11, with no outs in the 10th inning with no outs runner in his fifth at-bat, Mao Ito delivered the sinker second pitch from the first strike to right field, then with runners on first and second and one out, Soto fled to third and reached third base, and in Toshiya Sato hit to right field, he reached home for walk-off.

In the game against DeNA on June 12, with the score tied 2–2 in the bottom of the 9th inning with no outs runner, Takita Miyagi, batting in his fourth at-bat of the game, hit the second pitch slider thrown by strike into left field. The situation then became two outs with runners on second and third, and he scored on Daito Yamamoto ’s hit hit to right field that went through the hole between first and second base.

Regarding creating scoring opportunities, Tomosugi reflected, "I'm conscious of getting hits in crucial moments, so I think that was good."

He went hit in the games against DeNA on June 13th and 14th, ending his interleague play, but during practice sessions at Zozo Marine Stadium on June 17th and 18th, he said, "I focused on swinging hard during practice, and I think I was able to do that," and he hit several balls that landed in the stands near the left field foul pole.

When watching Tomosugi's batting practice since he turned pro, he rarely hits home runs, and his pre-game practice mainly consists of line drive drives and ground balls. When asked if he changes his batting theme between pre-game practice and practice days, he revealed, "I was also working on hitting for power, so I think that's the difference." He gives the impression that he has gotten quite a bit stronger at batting, but he humbly denied it, saying, "No, not at all."

Hitting coach Kenta Kurihara, who also watched Tomosugi's batting in the first team last year, does he notice any changes in Tomosugi from last season to this year?

"Regarding line drive, I've been consciously working on them since last fall. Last year I think I had a lot of pull hits, but this year I think I'm able to hit to all fields. I may be small in stature, but I have the ability to hit the ball far. In terms of using my power occasionally, when things aren't going well I'll just try to make contact. In that sense, I've been doing that kind of thing during extra batting practice."

Furthermore, Tomosugi sometimes hits the ball with a hitch, as seen in the game The Giants on June 6th. Could this be related to his constant emphasis on "hitting with the point of contact further forward"?

"There are parts that tend to harden, so I'm working on it with the idea of moving it around as I go."

He focuses on getting on base and hitting the ball in front of him, saying, "I make sure to maintain the same level of preparation before each game, even when I'm tired," indicating that his daily efforts are leading to results.

◆ Currently on an error-free streak of 42 games

Despite committing two errors in one game against Softbank Hawks on April 3rd, and accumulating six errors by the game against Seibu Lions on May 3rd, he has been error-free for 42 consecutive games since the game Orix Buffaloes on May 4th. His double-play combination with second baseman Ryusei Ogawa boasts one of defense capabilities in the 12-team league, including their wide defense range.

In the game Rakuten Eagles on July 1st, with the score 5-0 in the 6th inning with two outs and a runner on first base, he made a spectacular diving catch of a ball throw between third base and shortstop by Itsuki Murabayashi, and quickly threw to second base for the out. Regarding defense, he self-analyzed, "It was really bad in April, so I think I've managed to correct it somehow."

While defense has stabilized, their hitting has been declining. Nevertheless, they are showing definite improvement in their batting. "I want to do my best to make plays that lead to wins, one by one, not only in defense but also in offense." They need to persevere and raise their batting average again.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita