Orix Buffaloes ・ Sho Iwasaki pitcher is currently training with the minor league team with an eye toward transitioning to a starting role.

"First, I'll be given the opportunity to pitch as a starter. It would be ideal if I could do that, but if I can pitch long inning, I'll be more useful when a long reliever is needed." Iwasaki revealed his goals for the farm team after finishing practice at the team's facility in Maishima, Osaka, amidst scorching heat that felt like over 40 degrees Celsius.

He was traded from the Chunichi midway through last season and made 37 appearances as a reliever. With a record of 4 wins, 1 loss, and a 16-hold, he played a major role in helping the team finish in the A Class. This season, due to an injury to his left knee sustained during his off-season training, he missed the start of the season on the first-team roster, but was called up on June 2 and supported the bullpen as a reliever.

However, in the game Rakuten Eagles on July 16 (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), he took the mound in the 6th inning with a two-run bases loaded, but after giving up hit and two Walk to load the bases with one out, he allowed a go-ahead grand slam to Hideto Asamura. He had given up a total of 8 runs in his last three games, and ERA had worsened to 8.71, so he was removed from the roster the following day.

He knows the reason for his slump: the high number of Walk. "I'm giving up significantly more Walk than last year. It's not so much a control issue, but rather a mechanical issue that's not clicking." Last year with Orix Buffaloes Walk, he gave up 10 walks in 34 inning, BB rate of 2.65, but this season, he's given up 9 walks in 10 1/3 innings, a drop to 7.84. "I'm thinking about where the ball is going as I throw, so I don't know where it's going. It goes somewhere to some extent, but I can't throw it where I'm aiming. I'm aiming too much and then I get hit," he said, describing it as a vicious cycle. "If you just look at the ball, it might not seem so bad, but it's painful to pitch, or rather, I feel like I'm making things difficult for myself."

He volunteered to switch to a starting pitcher himself. "I've had this kind of experience many times as a reliever. When I have to pitch in tight situations (in a close game), it can get tough. At times like that, even if I adjust and improve in the same way as a reliever in the farm, when I move up, the hitter level is different, and the results don't really change. Rather than pitching in a situation where I can't afford to fail a single pitch, I get to throw in a relaxed state once and remind myself of my pitch feeling."

starter The team situation of a shortage also helped him make the decision, but he wasn't fixated on the starting lineup. "I told the management, 'Even if you're losing, don't worry about using him for long baseball,' but I kept not pitching. I was making him worry about it, so if he throws a long inning, I think he'll be more useful when he returns." At 36 years old, a veteran in his 19th year, he knows how to make the most of both the team and himself.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano