On the 26th, it was confirmed that Orix 's first-round draft pick, outfielder Yusuke Mugitani (Fuji University), will join the opening day first team. During his elementary and junior high school years, he was a member of Rakuten 's youth team, and the match against Rakuten on the 28th (Kyocera Dome Osaka) will be his first step as a professional. "It's a real honor to be able to play against the players I saw in the stands when I was little. I want to keep that feeling in mind and play with all my might," he said, vowing to perform energetically against his "old team."
In his first game of the Miyazaki camp on February 9th, he was no match for his teammate Mukugi's fastball. "I made a mistake with where I was coming from. To be honest, I lost all confidence..." he blurted out. Nevertheless, one month later on March 11th, in a game Chunichi (Vantelin Dome), he hit two doubles off of Takahashi Hiroshi, a right-handed doble who played for Japan in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and is in the same grade as him. As he gained more at-bats, he showed a strong adaptability and earned himself a ticket to the first team with a batting average of .261 in the exhibition games.
Mugitani said, "First of all, it's most important to contribute to the team's win. As an individual, I want to hit a home run as soon as possible, and I want to try out a lot of 'firsts' as soon as possible." He is going on a bold offensive, aiming to be the first rookie to hit a home hit in the opening game since Chano in 2011.
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