Orix Buffaloes' right-handed slugger candidate, Ho Naito, has moved one step closer to avoiding a terrifying bungee jump.
　
In the farm Western League game against the Hanshin Tigers held on August 30 (Hotto Motto Field Kobe), he hit his 9th home run of the season off Hanshin Tigers pitcher Daichi Ishii, marking his second consecutive game with a home run. It was a game-tying hit off the right-hander who extended the professional baseball record for consecutive games with no runs to 50 last season. Ishii, who is aiming for a comeback from a serious left Achilles tendon rupture suffered during this spring's camp, had been steadily progressing toward a return to the first team with three consecutive games with no runs until that game, making the hit a significant confidence booster for Ho Naito.

More than that, what relieved Naito was a promise he had made with his childhood friends. When he returned to Nagoya during the All-Star break, he made a "bet" to go bungee jumping with five local friends who had been with him since nursery school through junior high. The conditions were one Home Run in the first team or ten in the farm team for Naito, and a weight loss of over 10kg for one of his friends. At that point, he had seven Home Runs in the farm team. For Naito, who grimaced and said, "I'm not good with high places," it was literally a dangerous bet. Nevertheless, he took it as a sign of passionate support from his friends encouraging him to step up and accepted the challenge. Of course, he also had confidence in his hitting.

Naito is from Aichi Prefecture. He hit a total of 53 Home Runs at Nihon Koku Ishikawa High School and joined the Orix Buffaloes as the second-round draft pick in 2022 as a potential power hitter. In his first and second years, he was sidelined by two surgeries due to major injuries sustained during play, and he entered his fourth year vowing to make a breakthrough. He was promoted to the top team for the first time this season for the game against the Seibu Lions on May 23 (Belluna Dome), starting as the number four hitter and first baseman. In the fourth inning with one out and a runner on first, he hit a doble that struck the left-field wall directly, and in the ninth inning, he recorded his first multi-hit game with an infield hit. However, he had no further opportunities to play after that, was removed from the roster on June 1, and has continued to play in the minor league games.

In the game against Hiroshima on August 21st (Hotto Motto Field Kobe), he missed two games after hitting a foul ball off his own head. The impact was strong enough to crack the temple protection part of his helmet, but he was fortunate to avoid a direct hit. 'It seems my friend is making progress with their weight loss, so I can't afford to lose,' he said. Starting from the 1st, he will face The Giants (G-Town) and Yakult (Toda) for inter-district games against the Central and East divisions. He aims to hit his first double-digit Home Run to avoid the bungee jump and make a strong case for his promotion back to the first team.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano