[Nippon-Ham] Kengo Yoshida, who was playing catcher for the first time as a starting line-up hit a solo home run over the right field fence in the 7th inning... Manager Shinjo said, "I thought it was Ochiai."

Sports Hochi

2025.4.24(木) 07:02

◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 3-8 Rakuten (23rd, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham The team lost its second straight game to Rakuten at home ES CON FIELD on March 23. It was their fourth straight loss at home, tying them with Rakuten for second place in the division. The first professional starting line-up mask for the No. 5 catcher team, Kengo Yoshida catcher (24), hit a solo shot over the right-field wall in the seventh inning for the No. 3 run. He couldn't lead Ruei-Yang Gu Lin (Guling Luyang) pitcher (24), who was making his debut in the same year, to win, but he gave it a shot with the bat.

The ball flew with a familiar trajectory. Yoshida hit the ball back and it flew into the right field bullpen with a low trajectory. With two outs and no runner on base in the seventh inning, Yoshida caught Rakuten starter Takinaka's 143 km/h pitch and hit his third solo home run over the right field bullpen of ESCON. Yoshida said, "Hitting in that direction has always been my selling point," and manager Shinjo applauded the hit, saying, "I thought it was Ochiai."

It was a shot he took amidst frustration. His first starting line-up start as catcher was Furubayashi's debut game. He tried desperately to lead, but gave up seven runs in the middle of the sixth inning. He also committed passed ball, which was one of the reasons he gave up three runs in the first inning. Before the game, he said, "Personally, it's no different from a normal game, but he's pitcher who is featured in overseas media, so I hope I can bring out his strengths and make Furubayashi stand out," but the result was harsh. He switched his mindset and showed his strengths when he went to bat.

The team is tied for second place with Rakuten after a losing streak. They have had four straight losses at home, and have had a hard time win in the ES-Con, with a total of two wins and eight losses this season. Manager Shinjo praised Yoshida as catcher, saying, "He has good pitching, is good at catching one-bounce balls, and I think he has a different level of enthusiasm, so I tried him out. I think we were a good pair until we gave up the fourth run." A member of the developing millennial generation. He will aim to improve not only as a bat but also as catcher.

(Yamaguchi Yasushi)