Hope grows in the last team, perfect 7 innings → 9 innings shutout, 1 run home run that saved left-hander rookie
Sep 16, 2024
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From the beginning of the game, near-perfect pitching continued.
In the top of the first inning, he caught Chiba Lotte No. 1 Takashi Ogino with a fly ball to center field, No. 2 Hiromi Oka with a fly ball to right field, and struck out No. 3 Toshiya Sato with a swing and miss. He hit three batters with 12 pitches.
The three-way withdrawal was followed by two, three, four, five, six, and seven times. Until the seventh inning, none of the 21 Chiba Lotte hitters reached first base. In the fifth inning, No. 4 Neftali Soto hit a big hit toward center field, but was caught in front of the fence. Soto, who moved to Chiba Lotte last winter, is a two-time home run hitter for the Yokohama BayStars.
7 perfect innings with 73 pitches. Veruna Dome, where 25,200 spectators entered, began to tremble with expectations for a perfect game.
Chiba Lotte's attack in the top of the eighth inning hit from 0-0. Soto, the 22nd batter, hit his first hit, blocking his way to the milestone. In the full count, he hit a changeup that dug into the high outside course to lead to a left-handed hit.
The milestone was broken, but Takeuchi remained focused. He sent out the first runner, struck out Gregory Polanco at No. 5 with a fly ball to center field, and Shogo Nakamura at No. 6 with a swing and miss. He allowed his first walk at No. 7 Aito, with two outs and runners on first and second bases. Chiba Lotte replaced Fujioka Yudai as a pinch hitter. Takeuchi caught Fujioka with a fly ball to center field in a close game that went up to the sixth pitch.
He also received help from the batters for the first time in a long time. In the bottom of the eighth inning, No. 4 Manaya Nishikawa hit a superior first-round home run to lighten Takeuchi's shoulders.
I got over the last hurdle. Takeuchi had consecutive hits to the opponent's top lineup after one out in the top of the ninth inning. No. 1 Fujiwara Kyota hit a heavy hit against Takeuchi, and No. 2 Oka hit a shortstop infield hit. Takeuchi grounded out three to four times in a row to the first base with one out and runners on first and second bases.
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Takeuchi said in a post-match interview that `No one talked after the fifth inning. I was also conscious and aimed, but I was thinking about the situation where the runner was going out, so I didn't care (when the record was broken). I feel so good to have a shutout."
Takeuchi joined the 2024 rookie draft as the No. 1 pick after going through Kokugakuen University. He started the season as a fifth starter and pitched seven innings of one hit and no run in his first game with the Orix Buffaloes. He won his professional debut game.
In 19 games, he played 8-6 with a 2.19 ERA, and his team's strength was so weak that he often missed the victory even though he pitched well. He made two runs in seven innings and a high-quality start against the Rakuten Eagles on August 25 and the Softbank Hawks on September 8, respectively, but became a losing pitcher.
Takeuchi is a likely candidate for the Pacific League Rookie of the Year. Hope grows for Seibu, who is having its worst season.
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huelva@sportschosun.com
