In the semifinals and finals, she didn’t even play…Yuki Udagawa getting ready in the bullpen from the first round
The poker face didn’t change. However, his expression had clearly changed since he was at Miyazaki’s camp a month ago, and he was full of confidence. Pitcher Yuki Udagawa (Orix) of the Japanese national baseball team “Samurai Japan” watched the world’s best moment from the bullpen behind left field. I went for the mound at full speed and exploded with joy. Although he didn’t get a chance to pitch in the United States, he was an indispensable piece for Samurai Japan.
Samurai Japan reclaimed the throne for the first time in 14 years at the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC). Many heroes were born in the final in the United States, which had two victories left until the long-forgotten wish. In the semi-final against Mexico, outfielder Masanao Yoshida (Red Sox) scored the game with three runs, and infielder Munetaka Murakami (Yakult), who had three hits in the game, had a bye. In the final against the United States, pitcher Shohei Ohtani (Angels) against outfielder Mike Trout (Angels) was finally realized. The list goes on and on. On the other hand, Udagawa devoted himself to “Kuroko” and always stayed in the bullpen. I waited for that moment.
In the semifinals, Samurai Japan brought two young ace pitchers, Roki Sasaki (Lotte) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix), and adopted a “relief day”-like pitching strategy in the finals. Starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (DeNA) left after two innings. After the 3rd inning, 6 pitchers stopped the powerful US batting line to 1 solo by outfielder Kyle Schwarber (Phillies).
As a result, he did not make an offer, but Udagawa’s presence was a major factor in Samurai Japan being able to adopt this succession policy. For the last two games, the right arm has gone straight to the bullpen as soon as the games start. In the semifinals and finals, he started to build up his shoulders from the second inning, and was preparing to be thrown up to almost six innings. Even in the final stages, he waited for his turn and stayed in the bullpen until the end.
In the Miyazaki camp, coach Kazuyuki Atsuzawa said, “He has the ability to go back up for a long inning. The semi-finals and finals are always contested for one point. Even if someone gets in a pinch and gets off the board, Udagawa is there. It was such a relief. That’s why I was able to put good pitchers in without hesitation in the final.
