Hiroto Takahashi (21), a right-handed pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons, is one of the key players in winning the World Baseball Classic (WBC). He was selected as the youngest representative and took the mound in three games with a relief pitch. He gave up one run while pitching three innings, including the final against the United States. He is a starting pitcher for his team, but he has been active as a relief pitcher for the national team.
In particular, he left a strong impression in the final against the United States held on the 22nd.
In the 5th inning with a 2-1 lead, starting pitcher Imana took the mound as the third pitcher after Shota (Yokohama) and Shosei Dogo (Yomiuri). He struck out opponent No. 2 Mike Trout (LA Angels) with a miss at first base safely, and struck out Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis) No. 3 with a standing strikeout. 토토사이트
Then, 5 times, Nolan Arenado (St. Louis) gave up a left-handed hit, with 2 out on 1st and 2nd base. In the crisis of conceding, he caught Kyle Schwaber (Philadelphia) with a floating ball in center field to end the inning.
It was a good pitch that served as the springboard for the first championship in 14 years.
Could it be because of the WBC influence?
Takahashi, who returned to his team, struggled in the second team game. On the 29th, as a starter in the 2nd team match against the Rakuten Eagles held at Nagoya Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, he recorded 3 hits and 3 runs in 4 innings. In the third inning, he threw a splitter to Takero Okajima, which became a two-run home run in mid-month. He was hit in the fourth inning and allowed an extra run. The match against Rakuten on this day was the first game he pitched after returning from the WBC.
The highest fastball speed was 153 km, and he struck out 6 times. Takahashi started 19 games last year, his debut season, and recorded 6 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 2.47. He struck out 134 in 116⅔ innings. Despite falling short of regulation innings, he ranked third in strikeouts in the Pacific League.
Takahashi appeared in the ninth round of the WBC round 1 against Korea on the 10th. He ended the match with a three-way foul.