Angry hitters played a cartoonish baseball game, setting a new record of 44 hits-26 points in one All-Star Game, two hits five times each, and a grand slam for the first time in 57 years

Jul 25, 2024

Chiba Lotte catcher Sato, who hit five hits in the second cup of the All-Star Game on the 24th. He hit a single, a double, a triple, and sought a cycling hit, but added two doubles. Five hits in a game is a tie record for an All-Star game, and three doubles are a new record. Photo capture = Japan Baseball Organization website

Hiroshima catcher Sakakura. On the 24th, he hit a grand slam in the second inning of Game 2 of the All-Star Game. It is the first grand slam in 57 years in the All-Star Game. Photo capture = Japan Baseball Organization website

Something that seemed to be in a baseball cartoon happened.

Toshiya Marizu Sato of the Chiba Lotte hit five hits in the second game of the Japanese professional baseball All-Star Game at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on the 24th. He started as a No.7- catcher and fired at every at-bat. He hit a left-handed hit in his first at-bat in the second inning, a double to left field in the third inning, and a triple to right field in the fourth inning.

If he added a home run, he was a cycling hit. He struck out swinging in his fourth at-bat in the sixth inning. Chunichi Dragons ace Hiroto Takahashi, the fifth pitcher in the Central League, failed to overcome the 155km/h fastball thrown. Sato, who caught his breath, hit a double to right field in the eighth inning and a double to left field in the ninth inning.

He went 5 for 6 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Four of the five hits are long balls. Three doubles is the most in a single All-Star game. The Pacific League won 16-10 games, and Sato was named MVP.

It's the best season in my fifth year as a professional. He played 71 games in the first half and had 77 hits and a batting average of 298 with two home runs and 28 RBIs. He has the most personal hits in a season and the most RBIs in a season.

There was another batter on the Pacific League All-Star team who had five hits other than Sato. Softbank Hawks outfielder Gondo Genske. He went out as a designated hitter and hit a double to left field, a double to center field, and two hits in a row from the first inning. After stepping down with a double play on the second base in the seventh inning, he hit a right-handed hit in the eighth inning to complete a five-hit game.

The Central League was also strong. Hiroshima Carp catcher Sakakura Shogo hit a grand slam in the second inning. With the bases loaded with two outs, Rakuten Eagles left-hander Masaru Fujii hit a high fastball in the middle of the pitch. The ball flew over the central fence of Jingu Stadium. The grand slam of the All-Star Game came out for the first time in 57 years.

Sakakura, who had double-digit homers for three consecutive years until last year, had four homers in the first half of this year.

This season, the Japanese professional baseball team was hit hard by a powerful 'thugo-taser' Pitchers overwhelm hitters, leading to a series of Youngbong wins and Youngbong losses. 양

The Pacific League All-Star won the second game of the All-Star Game on the 24th with a complete 16-10 victory. With 28 hits, he turned the mound in the Central League into a mess. It is the record for the most hits in a game. Photo capture = Japan Baseball Organization website

There are only three batters in the league and seven pitchers with an ERA of one point. The number of home runs has also decreased significantly. Batters with 17 home runs in the Central League and 14 home runs in the Pacific League are ranked first. If you go at the current pace, you may not have a 30-homer hitter. In the Pacific League last year, three batters with 26 hits ranked first. The average speed of pitchers increases, so batters can't keep up. Some argue that there is a problem with the repulsion of official ball.

But the All-Star Game was completely different.

On the 24th, the Pacific and Central League All-Star teams scored 44 hits-26 points. Pacific League scored 28 hits-16 runs. Both are new All-Star Game records. Sato and Kondo's five hits in one game are also the most tied records.

The first round, which took place on the 23rd, was similar.

The Central League lineup exploded. He scored 17 hits, including four homers, to win 11-6. In the Central League, 13 batters scored nine runs on 10 hits in the second inning. He set a new record for most runs in one inning of the All-Star Game.

Okamoto Kazuma (Yomiuri Giants), Murakami Munetaka (Yakurt Swallows), and Taylor Austin (Yokohama BayStars), who played as fourth to sixth, hit two hits each in the second inning.

Maki, a leading Yokohama hitter, was named MVP after scoring two home runs and three RBIs in the first game of the All-Star Game on the 23rd. In the second inning, the Central League All-Star team scored nine points with 10 hits. He set a new record for scoring most points in one inning of the All-Star Game. Photo capture = Japan Baseball Organization website

Pacific League left-hander Sakya Yamasaki (Nihonham Fighters) gave up nine runs in the second inning and lost the most runs.

In the game, Makishugo (Yokohama), who hit two home runs and scored three RBIs, won the MVP award and received a prize of 3 million yen (about 27 million won).

Pacific League hitters had a total of 44 hits and a batting average of 473 in two games. It is a new record for the most hits-batting percentage.

It was a hell of an All-Star game for pitchers who used to fly in the regular season.

huelva@sportschosun.com