Shave to win. Masahiro Tanaka, a 32-year-old pitcher, started in a practice game (Urasoe) with Yakult on the 27th and moved up to the second royal mound of the season. Focusing on straights and splits, 42 balls, 2 hits, 2 walks and 1 run in the planned 3 innings. Although he allowed Yakult Murakami to hit the first bout in a timely manner, he struck the second at bat with a vertical treasure sword and showed dignity. The starting lineup for the second race of the season, the match against Nippon-Ham Fighters (Rakuten Seimei Park) on March 27, is also unofficially decided. Do everything in your power to uphold your beliefs.

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It was sharp, small, and droopy. 3 times 2 kills, count 1-1. Masahiro Tanaka swings his arm confidently. Yakult Murakami’s bat, which caught a ball straight in front of the bat, sank a few inches lower. As ordered, I hit him to a roll that lacked a sense of power. “There was a part that I had to bring up little by little, much more than when I threw it in the first race. It was a very significant pitching.” I piled 42 balls with which I was satisfied.

I lowered the target hard. For the second pitch, we focused on straight balls and splits, and in particular, we focused on fine-tuning the pronouns that make the most of the counting balls and game balls. “Split has not had many balls to convince in recent years. I want to control it well.” Nine balls were converted into divisions and the stadium screen showed a width of 133 to 142 km. “I wanted to create a situation where I had to come up with something by reducing the types of balls,” he said, depending on the application. Two out of every three balls thrown into the strike zone and two out of six balls in the ball zone stole a missed shot. “There are fewer other types of balls, but the division was better than last time.”

The finishing method has not changed since before. “I won’t throw a ball that I don’t have confidence in.” Spring Camp 2011. I never threw a forkball with a bullpen. Analyzing that “the hit rate is high for missed shots,” he gracefully dismissed it and landed a 140kg split. Even before the WBC in 2013, he stopped the curve at the end of camp and said, “You have to be aware of how to pitch according to the ball.” Make upgrades to give your best in the situation without drowning in advanced and versatile weapons.

We will present questions of the same value as the harvest. Like last time, I was worried about the mound floor, but after the second time, I found a place to put it down and my sense of power increased. “Some of them have accumulated over the next seven years and are ingrained in them. Some of them are in the way of living here. I have to take them out and remind them again. That work is still necessary.” … Stack and scrape, scrape and stack. On March 27, he will go through a constant process like a craftsman until the match against the Nippon-Ham Fighters at his home base.[Mikihisa Kuwahara]

▽ Rakuten Koyama pitching coach (to Masahiro Tanaka) I was able to adjust as the inning progressed. When he was Murakami, he was thrown with force. When I stepped on it, my upper body was no longer shaking.

▽ Rakuten Norimoto Takahiro (On ​​the third day in the middle, he pitched second after Masahiro Tanaka and did not run 2 times) Better to be able to come here without injury. (For string) I have to stabilize the tempo and timing a bit more.