Lotte's Ryusei Ogawa is undoubtedly growing and evolving in terms of his batting.

First of all, extra-base hits increased. Before the All-Star break, he played in 89 games and had 0 Home Run, 6 doble, and 2 triple, but in the 28 games after the All-Star break, extra-base hits have increased with 2 Home Run, 5 doble, and 3 triple.

Until last year, he had been swinging with a focus on "swinging hard," noting during pre-game batting practice that he was "holding the bat a bit longer and trying to be conscious of swinging powerfully." He also cited this "hard swinging" as the reason for his increase in extra-base hits during the second half of the season. One wonders if the underlying meaning of his focus on "swinging hard" has changed compared to previous years.

He explained, "Last year, I was conscious of swinging hard in my own way, but now I've changed my batting form to lift my leg and use that momentum, so I feel like I'm hitting the ball even harder." He continued, "Last year, I was swinging hard with a no-step approach, so there was a limit to how hard I could hit the ball. Now that I've switched to a form where I lift my leg and use the recoil, I'm making a conscious effort to swing even more powerfully."

He has been working with a focus on hitting low, hard line drives, but one wonders if he is also focusing on swinging hard in addition to that.

That's right. When we're at home, I might enter the batting cage six times. Out of those six, I focus on hitting low line drives that gap the defense about four or five times. Then, for the final round or one of the rounds in between, I practice hitting long balls by using my whole body to drive the ball deep.

◆ High batting average with an early count

This season, Ryusei Ogawa has a very high batting average when the count is shallow, hitting .354 (17-for-48) at 0 balls and 0 strikes, and .423 (11-for-26) at 1 ball and 0 strikes.

I think it depends on the scene and the situation, but for a batter like me, I feel there are many cases where they come to take a strike on the first pitch. In those situations, I go for the first pitch, and as a result, I feel my batting average is good.

One of Ogawa's characteristics is his persistent batting style that forces the pitcher to throw many pitches, but he has few Walk, with only 17 in 427 plate appearances.

In an interview on October 19 after the end of last season, he said, 'From the start, it's not that I'll have fewer plate appearances where I'm grinding it out or aiming for a Walk this year (2025), but I'm focusing on firmly driving the ball if a fat pitch comes. If I get into a two-strike count, I'm conscious of fouling off pitches, being selective, and at worst, getting on base with a Walk. Of course, I think I can contribute to the team by grinding it out and getting on base when I'm cornered, so while keeping that image in mind, I primarily want to focus on getting hits to reach base. That's what I'm focusing on in practice now.' As he mentioned, he had few Walks in 2025, totaling 12 in 202 plate appearances.

I wonder if it is correct to assume that the number of Walk is low, just as it was last year.

I am conscious of trying to get a hit, and I still have the mindset of being persistent after two strikes. However, until last year, my focus was on intentionally hitting fouls to keep the at-bat going. Now, my mindset is to swing to hit, and if the timing is off or it's a tough pitch, it ends up being a foul. So, I don't have as strong a focus on hitting fouls after being cornered as I did last year.

I've been talking with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and when I told him that I had this kind of mindset until last year, he told me to try to be persistent while still going for a hit to some extent even after two strikes, so I am always making an effort to keep that in mind.

It wasn't just about being persistent to draw a Walk; his mindset shifted toward being persistent while trying to get a hit. Ogawa has been a regular starter since the season opener and currently has 427 plate appearances. He is now close to reaching the required number of plate appearances for the season.

"I think I've grown little by little as I've become able to do things I couldn't do before, but this is my first year playing a full season to some extent, and since I have to continue this next year and the year after, I'm trying to work with the mindset that I'm still in the middle of my growth without being particularly satisfied." He vowed further growth, refusing to be complacent with the current situation.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita