41-year-old Choi Hyung-woo is outstanding, 200 hits twice, 42-year-old Aoki batting average of 0.194, and Wada falls to ERA 4.01 2nd division
Jul 19, 2024
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As of the 18th, he has played in 84 games with a batting average of 289-92 hits and 18 homers. This season, Choi Hyung-woo is not an old man who has little time left to retire, but is the best hitter representing the KBO League. It's going backwards over the years. Choi has 13 RBIs in the last 10 games.
There is a player who makes news every year when he renews his contract. They are veterans in their 40s who are at the end of their careers. Choi Hyung-woo is active in the KBO League, but the situation is a little different in Japanese professional baseball.
Softbank Hawks left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada (43) renewed his contract for 200 million yen (about 1.74 billion won) last winter. It rose 35 million yen in 2023. This is the highest amount after receiving 400 million yen in 2018. He pitched 100 innings in 21 games last year. He won 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA and finished second in the team with multiple wins. Until last year, he had 158 wins (87 losses) in 326 games.
I prepared for the season with enthusiasm. After three consecutive away games, he was selected as the starting pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Fukuoka home opener. However, the first team's start failed due to injury.
He graduated from Waseda University and joined the team in 2003. Born in 1981, he is the oldest player in the Pacific League. In the entire Japanese professional baseball league, Masanori Ishikawa (24), left-hander of the Yakult Swallows in the Central League, is the "number 2". Ishikawa, who was born in January 1980, is in his 23rd season this year.
No matter how good he is, it is hard to expect him to be in his prime. The home Rakuten Eagles match on the 5th. Wada, who took the mound for the fifth time this year, allowed four runs (three earned) in four innings. He had eight hits, including one homer, against 19 batters. In the top of the third inning with a 1-0 lead, he gave up a three-run home run to the opponent's No. 5 Suzuki Daichi. Wada's first-team registration was canceled the next day. Currently, he is refining his pitches in the second division.
Shinji Gurano, the head coach and pitching coach, said "It is difficult to produce results with a ball like this."
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In five games, he has exceeded 2 wins and 2 losses with an ERA of 4.01.6, and only one quality start (more than 6 innings as a starter, less than 3 earned runs). On May 22, he pitched seven innings of three hits and no runs against Rakuten. He won his second consecutive game against the Nippon-Ham Fighters on May 6, his first game of the season.
In the next three games, he lost two games without winning. He played in Rakuten for the first time in 20 days since the match against the Yokohama BayStars on June 9, and struggled.
A total of nine Softbank pitchers have started this season. Among them, Wada is the only player with a four-point ERA. With the current ball power, it seems difficult to get a chance to start. Softbank is leading the way, boasting the strongest power in both leagues.
Ishikawa, who had 185 wins until last year, added one win (two losses) this season. He started six games, played 29 innings and had a 2.79 ERA. He allowed four runs in five innings in 15 days against the Hiroshima Carp on the 12th. He had eight hits without four pitches.
He is playing this season by adjusting the interval between his appearances. He will take his first mound of the season against the Chunichi Dragons on April 16 and take the mound every two weeks.
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Seibu Lions infielder Takuya Nakamura (41) was born in 1983. He is in his 23rd year as a professional. Nakamura, a six-time Pacific League home run champion, is struggling this year. He hit 17 home runs in 88 games last year, but he hit seven home runs in 58 games this year. He has a batting average of 1991 and an on-base percentage of 2554 . Nakamura signed a contract for 150 million yen, down 50 million yen from last year. He has 478 homers in his career.
Yakult Swallows outfielder Norichika Aoki (42) was born in 1982. He hit 202 hits in 2005 and 209 hits in 2010 in his second year as a member of the club. Even a career-high .300 hitter can't go against the time. He had 115 hits in 2021, and 55 hits in a row from 2022-2023. This year, the position has been further reduced. He batted .194-18 with nine RBIs in 54 games. Aoki signed for 140 million yen last winter, down 200 million yen. This year's performance is far below the annual salary.
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huelva@sportschosun.com
