The 'Dolu DNA' disappeared league recorded 19 and stole for the third consecutive year, Hanshin Cleanup trio '0'

Oct 04, 2024

Chikamoto hit 19 steals of the season in the final regular season match against Yokohama on the 3rd. He is on the verge of winning his fifth stolen base with a second and fifth difference. If he wins the steal title, he will be the first player to win the honor without completing 20 steals. Photo capture = Hanshin Tigers SNS

Hanshin, the winner of last year's Japan Series, will start the climax series in second place this year. Hanshin beat Yokohama 3-1 in the final regular season game on the 3rd. Okada will put down his baton at the end of this season. Photo capture = Hanshin Tigers SNS

Cho Sang-soo of the Doosan Bears, who mainly played as a pinch runner until last year, flew on the floor when he got on base this season. In his ninth year as a 31-year-old professional, he won his first title with 64 steals. He made 72 attempts in 130 games, showing an 88.9 percent success rate. He has ushered in the era of 60 steals in nine years since Park Hae-min (then Samsung) in 2015. Until last year, he was impressive by surpassing 20 for three consecutive years, but this year, he became the main player and showed his full ability.

Cho's teammate, Jung Soo-bin, ranked second with 52 success. Two players, Cho Soo-haeng and Jung Soo-bin, stole 116 times. There are more stolen bases than KT Wiz (61), Hanwha Eagles (69), Kiwoom Heroes (71), NC Dinos (104), Lotte Giants (105), and Samsung Lions (113). It is nearly double the KT team's steal.

A total of 14 players exceeded 20 steals this season, and 10 exceeded 30. Kim Ji-chan of the Samsung Lions played 46 times and laughed 42 times. A success rate of 91.3%.

Japanese pro baseball Hanshin Tigers leadoff Koji Chikamoto stole his 19th base of the season in an away game against the Yokohama BayStars on the 3rd. After one out in the sixth inning, he hit a heavy hit and ran to second base. Hanshin, who confirmed second place, won the game 3-1. Hanshin and Yokohama are second to third in the Central League and will meet at the first stage of the Climax Series, the postseason starting on the 12th.

One more steal in the final game of the regular season. Chikamoto is on the verge of becoming the steal king for the third consecutive year. Even if he doesn't fill 20, he is likely to be the steal king. There are five more in this category than Kaki Kajiwara (Yokohama), who is second in the category. Yokohama has three games left, but it doesn't seem easy to turn the tables.

The Central League is dominated by strong 'go-taser'. With two of the six teams completing the entire 143 games per team, the team ranks first in RBIs with 86. There are two hitters with .300 and four hitters with 20 home runs. The No. 1 hit is also expected to be decided at the beginning of 160.

The stolen base also plunged to an all-time high. If Chikamoto takes the title, in 1950, for the first time since the Japanese professional baseball league was reorganized into two leagues,

Morissita in his second year of joining the team with the most home runs and most RBIs in the team. This season, the clean-up trio that leads to No. 3 Morissita, Oyama, and Sato recorded a stolen base of '0'. Photo capture = Hanshin Tigers SNS

King Lou is born.

It is less than one-third of the '59 steal' recorded by Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), who shook the Major League this season.

So far, 24 have been the least stolen bases in Japanese professional baseball. Four players tied for first place with 24 in the Pacific League in 2021.

A total of 12 players reached 10 steals by the 3rd. Yakult Swallows' monster hitter Murakami Munetaka is tied for eighth with 10 and tied for first in the team. The Chunichi Dragons are last with 39 team steals, followed by Hanshin with 41.

Hanshin saw a decrease of 38 this year from 79 last year. The clean-up trio does not have a single stolen base, with Shota Morishita, Yusuke Oyama, and Teruaki Sato. Infielder Takumu Nakano, who was the steal king with 30 in 2021. There were 20 last year, but this year there are six. There were more failures with seven stolen bases.

Chikamoto has been the steal king four times. It posted 36 in 2019, 31 in 2020, 30 in 2022, and 28 in 2023.

As the pitching power is so strong, the on-base percentage has fallen, reducing the chances of stealing. It has become difficult to try to steal bases with a high risk of going out hard. It also has a good ability to check the runner of the battery.

Softbank Shuto, who is the king of stolen bases in the Pacific League, has recorded 41 steals as of the 3rd. Photo capture=Softbank Hawks SNS

The Pacific League had a slightly different atmosphere. Softbank Hawks' Shuto Ukyo stole 41 and Rakuten Eagles' Ogo boo stole 31 and ranked first and second. A total of four players recorded more than 20 steals. Four teams have more than 80 stolen bases, and the last-place Orix Buffaloes have 60.

Reporter Min Chang-ki huelva@sportschosun.com

huelva@sportschosun.com

The 'Dolu DNA' disappeared league recorded 19 and stole for the third consecutive year, Hanshin Cleanup trio '0'

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