◆Preseason game: Nippon-Ham 7-4 Yakult (23rd, ES CON FIELD Hokkaido)
Nippon-Ham Hiromi Ito pitcher Yakult runs strike out The ace, who is scheduled to start the season opener (vs. Softbank) on April 1 at Escon, showed a perfect finish.
It was the third fastball pitch in a row. Ito got a struck out miss from Nishikawa, who led off the first inning, with a 152 km/h (152 mph), the fastest of the day. It was the first time for the team to get a win in a game," said Ito, "and it will lead us to the next round. The most important thing for us was that we were able to get the output out of hitter the top of the lineup.
"I'm pitching with confidence," he said, using splitter, slider, curveball, and cutter, hit through the fifth inning. He said of his new pitch, the kick change, "Imagine it shaking in the zone," and struck out No. 5 Osuna with a fly ball to second base in the second inning. "It'll start to have its flavor around June. It'll show its power when batters start to be aware of it to a certain extent," he analyzed. He predicted that the new pitch, which swings and drops in the low 130 km/h range, will be the key from the middle of the season onwards.
In the sixth inning, he gave up two consecutive hits. He was deeply sorry about the straight pitch he aimed for the outside and hit into the inside to No. 3 hitter Nagaoka. However, manager Shinjo took it in a positive light, saying, "Last year, there were occasional (careless) home run. It's good that it reminded us of that." The next game is the home opener. "It's a great advantage to be able to pitch the opening game at home." He is ready to get revenge on the champions who defeated him in last year's CS. (Haruki Kawakami)
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