Lotte's Koshiro Sakamoto had a disappointing season last year, appearing in only 8 games, but this season he has appeared in 14 games so far, mainly in games where his team is behind, and has an ERA of 2.87.

This season, Sakamoto's fastball is just excellent. On May 24, in the game against Rakuten Eagles closer runs with no in the second inning, he lost the Ryuya Taira on a 3-ball, 2-strike in the third inning with one out and runners on first and second, and got on a 3-ball, 2-struck out to get the sixth pitch on the inside course, 146 km/h fastball. On June 10, in the game against Chunichi, he struck Yuta Ishii in the 7th inning 1-11 with one ball and two strike. He retired Yuki Okabayashi from 1 ball, 2 strike with two outs in the seventh inning, and a 149 km/h fastball that he retired from 1 ball to 2 with no two runner outs in the seventh inning, swinging struck out 149 km/h . fastball struck out

In the game against The Giants on June 7, with the score tied 1-2 in the eighth inning with one out and a runner on second, he fastball all pitches up to the sixth pitch against Hayato Sakamoto. On the seventh pitch, thrown from 3-ball, 2-strike, with the opposing hitter focused on fastball, he unexpectedly missed the ball at an outside slider of 131 km/h and retired him struck out. "I tried to keep the count straight as possible, and at the final moment, I thought it would be slider at the end, and I got the autograph from Toshiya Sato, so I feel like I was able to go without hesitation."

In the game The Giants on June 5th, he was aggressively throwing cutter and slider to the inside corner against left-handed hitter, but was he doing so intentionally?

"I've not just started aiming for left-handed batters, but I've always had that image in mind when I pitch. I think that's working well internally now."

He used to throw a sinker to the inside corner against left-handed hitter, but perhaps he's now throwing slider to the inside corner against left-handed hitter because slider is working better than his sinker.

"Yes, there are limits to what you can do just by throwing outside pitches, so I'm also trying to throw inside pitches as well. Just throwing an inside breaking ball makes a difference to the batter, so I'm throwing them intentionally."

In the Chunichi game on June 10, with one out and a runner on third in the sixth inning with a score of 1-11, he swung Seiya Hosokawa on the fourth pitch, a 140 km/h cutter on the inside course, strike 1-11, and in the Nippon-Ham game on June 23, with two outs and a runner on first in the eighth inning, he struck out the Yuya Shindo on a 2-ball, 2-strike and struck out at 128 km/h slider outside the field, demonstrating the power of slider and cutter in the "right-handed hitter."

"Besides my fastball, my main pitches will be slider and cutter, so I think it's great that I'm getting a lot of swings and misses and called strikes with them."

He has recorded a “strike out” in nine consecutive games, and his “strike out” rate this season is an exceptionally high 10.91. Could this be due to the strong performance of his key players—fastball, slider, and cutter?

"Firstly, I think the quality of my fastball is good, so I'm able to get foul balls when I throw it, and I'm able to get swings and misses with breaking ball, and struck out with my fastball. I think my fastball is the area where it's improved the most."

Including fastball, it's a real shame that some pitches runs are throwing good pitches while consistently throwing good pitches. "There are games where we give up runs, but sometimes those are too weak. I want to be able to foul those times, but I think the pitches themselves are much better than last year or the year before."

Are the statistics for the balls he's actually throwing better than they were in 2023, when he had a breakout year with 51 appearances, 16 hold, and a 3.21 ERA?

"It's about the same as in 2023, but the numbers for my fastball have improved significantly. The numbers for slider have dropped a bit, but I'm still able to compete, so I think if I can improve that, I'll be able to get more struck out and pitch in crucial situations."

Currently, the team often relies on a "winning pattern" of Shunsuke Nakamori in the 7th inning, Shota Suzuki Rikuto Yokoyama in the 9th to secure victories, but if Sakamoto can develop some "stability," he has the ability to pitch in winning games as well. "First of all, I think the most important thing is closer in the position I'm given, so ultimately I want to be called upon to pitch in the winning pattern or in games we're winning." For the team to improve from here, having several relief pitchers who can pitch in winning games will add depth to the team. It remains to be seen whether Sakamoto can take on that role.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita