Commander Shofu Okada had a bored expression on his face. “I’m going to lose, Sora. Even though I have an opponent.” Sometimes a draw is the most fun for a player who says so, isn’t it?
- After drawing with Lotte, director Okada of Hanshin shows a stern expression after greeting (photo by Masaaki Maeoka)
This day was a backup day for the 2nd day which was canceled due to rain. When it comes to Monday night games, the stands are usually empty. However, 36,780 spectators packed into Koshien. Although this is the lowest number this season, it is a significant number compared to other stadiums.
“It is much more than we have had so far. Tickets are only available for three days,” he said. Sellers say the same thing. 5 hours and 7 minutes before that, this was the longest game of the two leagues this season. Hanshin this season is something that stands out.
Of course, the reason behind this is the good performance of the team. A draw is not fun, but the result of 2 wins and 1 draw against Lotte, who continue to fight for the top position in the Pacific League, is enough, isn’t it a passing score?
For the first time in a long time, the cleanup stepped in this game. In the 3rd inning, Noisy hit a timely hit, and in the 4th, Teruaki Sato hit a triple. And in the 5th inning, Yusuke Oyama hit a No. 7 3-run that was temporarily reversed.
This is the first time since the Yakult (Jingu) match on May 25 that the three of them have hit together. In that game, Oyama hit a No. 5 single in the 4th inning, and Teru Sato singled to left. Noisy had a right front hit in the 10th inning. Since then, this is the first time in 9 games that he has been “soroi fumi”.
Looking at it from a different perspective, there were eight games in a row where all three players did not manage to hit. However, during that time, the team was doing well with 6 wins and 2 losses. Needless to say, No. 1 Koji Chikamoto, No. 2 Takumu Nakano, and No. 8 Seiya Kinami are regulars.
- In the top of the 7th inning, Lotte 1st and 2nd base, Yamaguchi hit a 3-run homer to left center and crouched down Hanshin Hamaji (photo by Masaaki Maeoka)
And above all, there is the hard work of the pitchers. To put it bluntly, Hanshin is not a batting team this season. The team’s batting average is third in the league, but the ERA is at the top. This is probably a result of Okada’s ideal of “defensive baseball.”
However, on the contrary, it is also true that if the starting pitcher and the middle man lose points due to walks like this day, even if the batting line returns, they cannot win. The commander is in a bad mood because there are few such games so far.
“I had a lot of walks. The last line, “It is what it is” also jumped out. I want to fight the rest of the exchange battle with this pull switch “success pattern”. (Omit Honours)[Takahara Hisao](Nikkan Sports.com/baseball column “It’s a tiger, it’s a tiger!”)
- In the 7th inning, Hanshin Okada returns to the bench to replace Hamaji (photo by Masaaki Maeoka)
- This column contains back issues.
