Lotte's first-round draft pick, Misho Nishikawa outfielder (22) = Aogaku University, will make his season-opening starting line-up debut as "No. 1, left field" against Mizuho Peipay on the 28th Softbank, it was decided on the 27th. After a full practice session at a hostile site on the same day, manager Yoshii and Nishikawa revealed the news.
The confidential information was suddenly lifted. After practice, while Nishikawa was being interviewed, Manager Yoshii approached him with a smile. He put his arm around Nishikawa's shoulder and said, "You can say 'I'm number one.'" The first-round pick player, who received the instruction, seemed relieved and said, "I was told at the meeting before practice. When I first looked at the board, I thought 'my name isn't there,' and panicked, but it was at the top. I'm going to swing hard from the first pitch," and looked forward to the showdown with Softbank 's Arihara.
It's been six years since Fujiwara did so in 2019, six years since Lotte's rookie outfielder was in the starting starting line-up for the opening game. According to him, this will be the first time he's batted leadoff since playing for Samurai Japan against Europe on March 7 last year (Kyocera Dome). He has almost no experience, but in 14 exhibition games he has a batting average of .410 and six RBI, and his aggressive batting style of swinging without hesitation at the first pitch makes him an attractive offensive leadoff hitter. He has maintained good form, hitting the ball to the upper left-center field seats during batting practice, and he spoke confidently, saying, "My aggressive style has been something I've been doing since college. I'm going to be consistent and go on the offensive from the opening game onwards."
Manager Yoshii, who made the decision to select him, said with an awkward smile, "I want to build momentum. Since it's the opening game, this year's The Marines are expressing their intention to 'make a mess', in both a good and bad sense." In his first professional at-bat in the first inning, he caught Arihara's pitch and hit a leadoff home hitter. I'd like to see him make the biggest mess, a first for a rookie in baseball. (Ami Shunsuke)
◆Record memo There have been 14 rookies who have hit Home Run in the opening game, including Watarai (D) who hit a game-tying three-run home run in his second at-bat in his debut last year. Of these, only two rookies hit in their first at-bat: Tokura Katsuhiro (Mainichi) in 1950 and Nishiura Naoyuki (Y) in 2014. Both started, with Tokura batting fourth and Nishiura batting eighth. No rookie has ever hit a home run as the leadoff hitter in the first inning of an opening game.
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