Starting pitchers who made a big difference between Orix and Lotte
The fierce dead heat has finally settled. In the Pacific League, Orix won the league title for the first time in 25 years on the 27th. Lotte, who was in second place, lost to Rakuten, so he had already finished 143 games and decided to win Orix, who had been waiting for Lotte’s result.
At the end of the game, Lotte in 2nd place was lit with magic, and the top two teams were in a fierce battle. Where was the “difference” that divided the game?
One of the differences may be the starting pitcher and the ace. Looking at the starting pitchers of both teams this season, Lotte has 45 wins and 39 losses, while Orix has 55 wins and 45 losses. The number of wins is small, but the number of losses is also small. On the other hand, the relief pitcher is Orix’s 15-10, while Lotte’s is 22-16.
Orix is reigned by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, an absolute ace. This season, he has 18 wins and 5 losses, including 15 consecutive wins, and an ERA of 1.39. Hiroya Miyagi, the left arm of the second year, also grew up. With 13 wins and 4 losses and an earned run average of 2.51, he became a major pillar with Yamamoto. Following these two are Sachiya Yamasaki with 8 wins and 10 losses, and Daiki Tajima with 8 wins and 8 losses. It’s hard to say that the starting lineup was substantial, but the existence of the two pillars was big.
How about Lotte on the other hand? Kazuya Kojima on the left arm has grown to 10 wins and 4 losses and an ERA of 3.76, but this is the best result in the starting lineup. Daiki Iwashita also struggled with 8 wins and 8 losses, but Manabu Mima and Kota Futaki, who should be the pillars, have been sluggish this season. Ayumu Ishikawa was also withdrawn for a long time due to surgery on his right elbow. Although Roki Sasaki in the second year did a good job, there was no existence that could be called the Great Black Pillar.
Orix lost all cards this season only once in the Softbank two-game series on May 22nd and 23rd. Lotte, on the other hand, lost all seven times. Orix’s longest losing streak this season is four in a row (Lotte loses five in a row). There were two reliable wheels, Yamamoto and Miyagi, and it would have been great that Kuroboshi did not continue.
In addition, the quality start (QS) rate of ORIX’s starting pitchers is 52.4%, which is the top of the league. This is largely due to Yamamoto and Miyagi, while Lotte has 46.1%. In the Pacific League, it was the second lowest after Seibu’s 37.8%. The relief team has a ERA of 3.16 for Lotte and 3.33 for Orix, but it must be said that there was a big difference in the starting lineup.
Orix, who won the league title for the first time in 25 years, and Lotte, who missed V for the first time in 16 years. From this conclusion, the importance of the starting pitcher in baseball and the importance of the existence of an ace can be clearly understood.
(Full-Count editorial department)
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