Since his third promotion to the first team on June 10th, Lotte's Kyuto Ueda has played in 25 games, batting .269 Home Run and 8 RBI. In July and beyond, he has played in 19 games, batting .300 with 2 Home Run RBI and 6 RBIs.
He has been on a five-game hit since the game Seibu Lions on the 4th of August, and his batting average for the month of August is .353. In July, he had a batting average of .500 with runners in scoring position, 2 Home Run, 6 RBI, and an OPS of .788, so looking at the numbers alone, it seems that what he has been working on is paying off.
Ueda himself shook his head and said, "I don't think I've been able to do anything that I'm completely satisfied with yet."
When asked about the reason, he said, "When I'm given the opportunity to play in consecutive games, there are some ups and downs in terms of whether I get results or not, so I want to stabilize that," as he did not get hit in the games against Nippon-Ham on August 1st and 2nd. He remained calm, saying, "I've noticed that my extra-base hits have decreased a bit, and as I continue to play in games, I feel that I want to get hits, and I feel that when I'm at bat, so I think I need to continue with the same approach."
◆ Home Run was a career high.
In that context, Home Run has already hit a season-high 5 home runs in 122 at-bats, fewer than the 184 at-bats he had last season.
"I'm not really consciously thinking about it, and I'm happy that I'm hitting home run, but it's not a number I'm completely satisfied with yet, and I'm not the kind of batter who can consciously focus on that. I think it's a good sign that I'm starting to hit home run as I continue to focus on hitting for power."
◆ Determined to be the regular third baseman
In an interview on October 26 last year, he stated, "I want to secure a position at third base, so I'm working towards that goal," indicating that he had set his sights on becoming a regular third baseman since the autumn practice held at Zozo Marine Stadium last October.
This season, since catcher Ryusei Terachi was the regular third baseman from the start of the season, Ueda mostly starting line-up at second baseman and first base, including starting line-up first start of the season on April 10 against Seibu Lions as the "number 3 hitter and first baseman second baseman."
Since the game against the Seibu Lions on July 14, Ueda has played all 13 games he’s appeared in starting line-up at third base. In the game against the Orix Buffaloes on July 24, with the score 1–0 in the first inning and no outs with a runner on first, he skillfully Ryoma Yamanaka adjusted to third base line ’s irregularly bounce and hit a catch single, then throw advanced to second base, resulting in an out—a fine defense play.
"I've always aimed to be starting line-up and regular at third base, so I want to make the most of this opportunity."
On the other hand, he said, "Right now I'm mostly playing third base, but I want to continue preparing so that I can play any position," and during pre-game practice at Zozo Marine Stadium, he practices not only defense base but also second baseman.
The team played its 100th game of the season against Softbank Hawks on the 12th, with 43 games remaining. "I think we're still in a position where standings can change, and I have a strong desire to contribute to the team's win. I want to contribute to the team with my own abilities, so I hope to continue to deliver hits that benefit the team and perform well in various games for the team." He intends to hit a game-win hit and seize the third base position.
Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita
