Unexpected...Unexpected...Unexpected, Winning Giant rose, National Catcher also went to Yomiuri and joined 197-win pitcher with a special investment of 44.8 billion won (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)

Dec 17, 2024

Martinez, the closer announced his joining on the 16th. He made 166 saves for Chunichi. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

The best catcher in the Japanese professional baseball ahead of the transfer of Yomiuri. Japan's national catcher at two WBCs and the Tokyo Olympics??Sports Chosun DB

Coach Abe, who led the Yomiuri Giants to the top of the Central League this season. He played a leading role in recruiting Tanaka and Guy this winter. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

He will recruit a special closing pitcher and even join a living legendary pitcher who posted a total of '197 wins' and a national team catcher. The winter of 2024 for the Yomiuri Giants is hot. Almost every year, the Softbank Hawks dominated the offseason, and this winter, Yomiuri leads the mood. In recent years, a giant who passed without recruiting outside free agents (free agents) has wriggled to his feet.

Japan's top catcher, Takuya Guy (32), will change into a Yomiuri uniform. I thought about staying at Softbank and transferring to my original team for a month. After a lot of trouble, I decided on changes and challenges. It is the reinforcement of the catcher that manager Abe Shinnosuke Yomiuri, a former catcher legend, hoped for.

He was the undisputed main catcher at Softbank, but he may have to compete in the new team. Yomiuri has catcher resources such as Takumi Oshiro, Yukinori Kishida, and Seiji Kobayashi, who moved between catcher and first baseman. Oshiro played 96 games this year, Kishida played 88 games, and Kobayashi played 42 games.

Osiro, who has a good batting performance, is the representative catcher of the Central League. In 2020 and 2023, he was named the best nine in the catcher category. He has played seven seasons since 2018 and recorded 564 hits, 62 home runs and 250 RBIs in his career. He slowed down this year, but he hit 16 home runs last year.

Guy and Oshiro played for Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He contributed to his third win in 14 years. Guy was the main catcher and Osiro was the backup.

2017-2022, 6 consecutive Golden Glove Awards. Again this year, Guy held his golden glove in his arms. A total of seven Golden Gloves were awarded. He was also named the best 9 catcher three times in 2017, 2020, and 2022.

The national team's career is also spectacular. He was a member of the Japanese national team for the 2019 and 2023 WBC and 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He started as a softbank player in 2011 and became a catcher representing Japan. He played in 119 games this year. He had a batting average of 256-88 hits, five home runs, and 43 RBIs.

On the 16th, the Yomiuri Giants announced the recruitment of Raidel Martinez, a right-handed pitcher from Cuba. Japanese media announced that Martinez signed a four-year contract of $32 million and about 4.8 billion yen (about 44.8 billion won). This is the highest amount ever in Japanese professional baseball. Martinez's original team, Chunichi Dragons and Yokohama BayStars, saw their ransom soar.

Chunichi offered 4 years-4 billion yen, but could not beat Yomiuri. No matter how special the finish is, it is an unprecedented amount that exceeded expectations.

This year, he remained at the top with an overwhelming ball power. 43 saves and 7 holds (2-3) - 1.09 ERA in 60 appearances.

Yomiuri ranked first in the Central League for the first time in four years this season. He sought to advance to the Japan Series for the first time in four years, but failed due to Yokohama's gust of wind. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

Yomiuri is Japan's most prestigious club, but it has not won the Japan Series since 2012. He is making all-out efforts to strengthen his power this winter to win next season. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

He did. Martinez moved to Chunichi from the Cuban League in 2018 and made 166 career saves. He had 39 saves - 0.97 ERA in 2022 and 32 saves - 0.39 in 2023.

There is another special finish in the Yomiuri. This is Daisei Ota, the right-hander in his third year of joining the team. He is the winning member of the Japanese national team at the WBC last year. He made 29 saves this year and posted a 0.88 ERA. With Martinez joining, Yomiuri has an iron wall bullpen.

Martinez wanted to throw at Tokyo Dome through the club. I want to win in the Yomiuri." Martinez's original team Chunichi finished last for the third consecutive year so far this year. At the end of the season, manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami stepped down.

Team ERA 2.49. This season, the Yomiuri Giants ranked first in team ERA among 12 teams in both leagues. But there was a variable. Tomoyuki Sugano (35), the main starter this winter, will also leave the Major League Baseball. It is virtually impossible to fill the void of ace who has won 15 games this year. In this situation, veteran Masahiro Tanaka (36), who has 197 wins in total in the U.S. and Japan, will join. The recruitment work was also carried out under the leadership of Abe.

Tanaka, who returned to Rakuten in 2021, won only 20 games in four years. The ball has fallen and has struggled every year. Attention is focusing on whether he will succeed in making a comeback in the Yomiuri Giants. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

Yomiuri ace Sugano, who won 15 games this year. He is seeking to advance to the Major League this winter. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

As a member of the New York Yankees, he won double-digit games for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019. Tanaka went downhill after returning from the major leagues for the first time in eight years. He returned to the Rakuten Eagles and won only 20 games in four years. This year, he pitched five innings in one game. Yomiuri reached out to him, who was on the verge of retirement after breaking up with Rakuten. The relationship with director Abe worked. The two played together in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 and 2013 WBC Japan national teams.

Yomiuri officials, including manager Abe, saw the possibility of Tanaka's comeback. Sugano is looking forward to playing the leader role of the pitching staff without him. Sugano also won only four games last year. I made a comeback this season. All of the Yomiuri starters who are missing Sugano are in their 20s.

The Yomiuri Giants represent Japan with the Hanshin Tigers. Grades outrun Hanshin. He has lifted the Japan Series trophy 22 times. I haven't achieved a performance worthy of my recent reputation. It was the last time to win the Japan Series in 2012. He has advanced to the Japan Series three times since 2012, and has not topped all three times. Rakuten in 2013 and SoftBank in 2019-2020. 2019 and 2020 didn't win a game. He suffered the humiliation of losing four consecutive games for the second consecutive year.

In 2024, which marked its 90th anniversary, Yomiuri won the league for the first time in four years. Under Abe, he succeeded in rebounding in the atmosphere. However, it was a shame to finish. 센트럴리그 클라

Yomiuri catcher. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

Dropped out of the final stage of the Imax Series. He was crushed by the wind of Yokohama, the third-ranked team in the league, and suffered a shock defeat. He failed to advance to the Japan Series for the first time in four years.

Yomiuri's goal is to win every season. The same goes for next season.

huelva@sportschosun.com