Lotte's Tokito Kawamura has been pitching as part of the rotation since starting in the game against Nippon-Ham on June 24, despite being removed from the active roster at one point.
In the game Orix Buffaloes on July 24, he took mound in the 9th inning with the score 2-1, aiming for complete game win, but gave up timely hits to Ryoma Yamanaka and Ryo Ota, resulting in walk-off loss. Nevertheless, he pitched 8 1/3 innings, throwing 117 pitches, hit 4 hits, strike out 3, BB 1, and giving up 3 runs, fulfilling his role as a starting pitcher well. "I think it was good that I was able to go to the 9th inning," he reflected.
In the Orix Buffaloes game that day, he runs in the first inning and Hit by Pitch the leads Kotaro Kobayashi in the second inning at 2-1. "Since it was after Hit by Pitch, I felt it wasn't very good, so it helped me focus and was really good. It was the moment I thought my double play was the best, so I think it was a good ball," he said, then took the following Keita Nakagawa with a shot from 2 balls 2 strike and struck it in two sets exactly as ordered.
"There was also a balance with the batter, but I thought I could go straight at the plate, so I went straight in," he said. With two outs in the second inning with a 2-1 score and runner in the Ryu Sugisawa, he swung and missed the first pitch at 145 km/h fastball, missed the 116 km/h curve on the second, and swung and missed on the third pitch at 147 km/h fastball for struck out. It was a brilliant pitch with a balanced pace.
From the third inning onward, he pitched efficiently with a low pitch count, retiring Orix Buffaloes batters in order in every inning until the eighth.
◆ pitch after being promoted to the first team
Looking at his appearances since the June 24th game against Nippon-Ham, he's managed to minimize runs despite giving up runner on base. I wonder how he sees that himself.
"In my conversations with Coach Tateyama, he's told me to be patient and keep pitching even when there are runner on base, and I think I'm doing that well."
Is the ideal style to play like we did in the July 15 game against the Seibu Lions and the July 24 game against the Orix Buffaloes—scoring runner while keeping the runs to a minimum and closer?
"Of course, the best thing would be to not allow runner on base, but that's what's happening right now, so I think the best thing to do in the current situation is to somehow prevent them from scoring, and that means I need to keep pitching tenaciously."
Just like how he got Nakagawa to hit a double play with a sinker in the game against Orix Buffaloes, being able to get groundouts with a sinker must be a big confidence booster.
"pitcher originally hits a lot of fly balls. With my sinker and fork, and especially since I started learning the sinker, I've been getting a few more ground balls, so I'm pitching with the feeling that I can turn more double play than before."
There are also areas for improvement. He has given up a lot of runs in the first inning since his appearances in the minor leagues. He has started six games since the June 24th game against Nippon-Ham, and has runs in the first inning three times.
"Every game is difficult. I think it's difficult for any pitcher, so I focus on throwing the first pitch with really high concentration."
One of Kawamura's strengths is that once he gets through the early innings, he can easily closer the opponent. Perhaps he's gaining confidence from pitching in the first team.
"I'm still not getting enough swings and misses or struck out, so I often have tough pitching matches, but there are also games where I manage closer. I think if I can increase the variety of pitches I throw and give my all in every game, I might be able to reach this level. I want to work a little harder."
Perhaps they want to get a strikeout with fork, since it's a swing and a miss.
"fork is one example, and fastball is another foul. Right now, it's split between straight shots and cutter, so of course, ideally, I'd like to push for more fastball."
In an interview on July 11, cutter said, "Cuts are a convenient pitch, but I try not to add too much," and currently, fastball, fork, and shoots support pitch.
"Looking at Avg, cutter is relatively low, and if used correctly, it can be an effective pitch. I don't want to completely eliminate it. However, I also think I need to make sure I don't forget about my fastball either, so rather than reducing it, I want to make sure I don't forget about it."
If Kawamura can consistently pitch in his own style, using a variety of pitches to keep the opposing batters guessing, and then patiently and calmly getting outs even when runner are on base, he should be able to rack up wins.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
