Lotte's Naoya Masuda earned his first save of the season in the "BLACK SUMMER WEEK supported by Coolish" which began on July 10th, achieved his 250th career save in the game Seibu Lions on August 4th, and played a key role in the final innings of winning games, such as safely retiring the 9th inning in a 7-2 game Orix Buffaloes on August 9th, the final day of the BSW.
Masuda is a legendary reliever who holds the club's top records in career appearances, relief appearances (796), hold (176), hold points (211), and saves (250). However, last season was a disappointing one for him, with only 22 appearances, a record of 1 win, 4 losses, 2 hold 5 saves, and ERA of 4.35. This season, he was in a position where he had to earn his own position.
He secured a spot on the opening day roster, but from the start of the season, he often pitched in situations with a large lead, such as in the 9th inning of games where his team was trailing. He steadily produced results in those positions, and on July 10 against Orix Buffaloes (Zozo Marine Stadium), he pitched in his first save situation of the season in the 9th inning with one out and a runner on first base, with the score 8-6, and held the opponent runs for 0.5 innings, closer his first save of the season. This was his 249th career save. On July 25 against Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes (at Kyocera Dome Osaka), he pitched in the 6th inning (3-3) with the score tied for the first time this season, and runs one scoreless inning. On July 26 against Orix Buffaloes (at Kyocera Dome Osaka), he took over from starter Jackson in the 8th inning with one out and runners on first and second base, with the score 3-1, and pitched 0.5 innings, closer the runs.
It's impressive how he manages closer runner when they're on base. "Since it's someone else's runner, I try my best not to let them score. I want to keep the lead going until the next batter. When Yoko (Rikuto Yokoyama) was up to bat, it was the last one, so I pitched with the intention of ending the inning with a win."
On the 4th, in the game Seibu Lions (Zozo Marine Stadium), he achieved 250 career saves in NPB, one of the requirements for joining the Meikyukai (Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame), saying, "I think this (250 saves) is the result of what I've done for the team, so I'm happy with myself."
◆A senior colleague I looked up to when I was younger
While many younger comedians, such as Fumiya Ono, Shota Suzuki, and Rikuto Yokoyama, look up to Masuda, did Masuda himself have a senior comedian he looked up to or considered a mentor when he was younger?
"Mr. Wakui, right?" he said, mentioning the name of Hideaki Wakui, who currently plays for the Chunichi and was with the Lotte Marines for six years, from 2014 to 2019.
"I learned a lot from Wakui-san about pitch baseball, after I turned pro," he said. When he achieved his 250th career save, he smiled and said, "Wakui-san congratulated me, and I think he was happy too, so I'm glad."
◆Mainly fastball sinker
On the pitch side, in his first game appearance of the season on February 23 against Chunichi, in the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on first, he led Seicho Uebayashi to two strike on the third pitch, and on the third pitch, he missed the timing on a curveball he hadn't thrown until last season and flew out to right. He appeared in six exhibition games and closer runs, but his breaking ball was high, making it seem like a model change.
Especially in the early part of this season, he closer been using not only fastball, slider, and sinker, but also cutter and curves to keep batters at bay. In an interview on May 3rd, he explained the reason for throwing so many cutter and curves, saying, "Nowadays, it's baseball data, so I think batters are waiting for pitches that only have data on them. I'm trying to scatter that data for a while and make the batters think hard about what to throw."
Immediately after the season began, the percentage of fastball gradually increased, while the frequency of slider, cutter, and curveballs decreased. Currently, fastball accounts for 57.8% and sinker for 25.4%, marking a return to a pitch style centered on fastball and sinker.
Perhaps the reason he throws so many fastball and sinker is because he's confident in those two pitches.
"sinker is so-so, but my fastball has gotten much better. Right now, I think my fastball is better."
◆ "I want to keep working hard so that I can be there in the future."
Masuda is just four games away from reaching 800 career appearances, but he has always spoken of his strong desire for team win and a league championship rather than individual records. "I think winning as a team is more important than individual records," he said emphatically.
When asked if he would like to be on mound in the ninth inning of a winning game when his team wins the league championship, he replied, "I think it would be enough if I could just be there, so I will continue to work hard so that I can be there."
While winning the league championship this year is looking quite difficult, they are only 7 games behind third-place Seibu Lions. If they keep winning, there's a chance for a dramatic comeback and a playoff berth. When their regular relief pitchers have to pitch back-to-back games, it's incredibly reassuring to have Masuda, who has weathered countless tough situations, on the mound. "I think I can improve a bit more, so I'll do my best to get even better." He will continue to pitch his heart out for the team's win.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
