"I was able to refresh my body and try out some vertical-dropping pitches. A week without throwing was a gamble, but I think it paid off." Orix Buffaloes pitcher Kosei Yoshida, who is currently adjusting in a minor league game, smiled.

Having returned to the team this season after undergoing Tommy John (TJ) surgery last March, he was promoted to the first team on April 25th and appeared in 20 games as reliever by the end of June, recording 1 win, 2 losses, 8 hold, and ERA 4.11. He supported bullpen with 8 consecutive scoreless runs in June, but was removed from the roster two days after giving up 2 runs in a game against Nippon-Ham (ES CON FIELD) on June 30th.

Although the condition of his right elbow, which had undergone surgery, had not worsened, he consulted with manager Mamoru Kishida and decided to use the week after being removed from the roster to refresh himself. "When I thought about whether I was attacking to the fullest extent, I realized I was only attacking to about 80% of my potential. My thoughts about the course and type of pitch were all jumbled up in my head. I hadn't played baseball for a year, so I thought it might be due to my physical condition, and when I consulted with Mamoru (manager Kishida), he said something similar." The team had played more than half of its games, and it was also a milestone for Yoshida, who had pitched in 20 games.

He didn't touch a ball until July 7th, including the two days leading up to his removal from the roster. Aside from the offseason and after surgery, it was his first time going a week without throwing. "I wanted to stay with the first team the whole time. As reliever who's been given the opportunity to pitch in tough situations, it's embarrassing to be sidelined," he lamented, expressing his disappointment, but he gained a lot from the experience.

During the week he didn't hold a ball, he focused on recovering his body while simultaneously searching for a new pitch to complement fastball, which was gradually regaining its speed. What he came up with was "a ball that drops sharply vertically." He tried it out in bullpen and it worked so well that he said, "I'm not sure if it's a knuckle curve or not, but I was able to throw it to both the inside and outside corners, and I felt it was a pitch that suited my pitching style."

Yoshida has relied on his fastball, change-up, and shooting as his weapons. "I create a triangular strike zone with fastballs, change-up, and knuckle curves. I think my pitching in the first half is heavily skewed toward shooting, so that's fine or I can focus on a different pitch style," he said, reflecting on the new pitch style.

In the Hanshin Tigers game against the second team on the 10th (Sugimoto Shoji BS), he hitter pitched in the first inning, threw three or four pitches to three batters, and grounded out to shortstop, closer a hit. pitch later, when he returned to the bench, Yoshida checked the accuracy of the ball and strike with the home plate umpire and showed a satisfied expression. "I think it's about time for the pitch to reach 150 km/h. If it hits 150 km/h at this stadium (which is said to be slow), I think the first team would be in the low 150 km/h range," he said, and his fastest speed that day was 150 km/h.

"I think it was a good curveball that threw off their timing. I want to keep throwing and get some struck out. Compared to the first half of the season, my pitch selection has changed drastically and I might suddenly become a power pitcher." The team has a nine-game stretch before the All-Star Game. "New Kosei" will be in action again as he aims for his goal of "50 appearances."

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano