At the top of the first inning, hitters 1 to 3 hit consecutive home runs, but all three are first-place prospects.
Feb 12, 2025
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Yokohama BayStars' prospects held a home run parade. In a practice game against the Chunichi Dragons' second team at the Okinawa Camp, three batters from first to third hit consecutive home runs in the top of the first inning. However, all three of them are young players in their early and mid-20s who joined as the first nominee for the rookie draft. These are the futures of the BayStars, who boast the strongest lineup in the Central League.
Okinawa Yomitan Stadium on the 12th.
Yokohama No. 1 Watarai Ryoki (23) set the tone in the top of the first inning. Chunichi left-hander Konosuke Fukuda (20) pulled the first pitch and flew it over the right fence. I didn't miss my fastball in the middle of the first pitch. A first-base home run in the top of the first inning.
No. 2 Keito Mori (23) and No. 3 Zion Matsuo (21) also turned their bats fiercely. Mori hit a low fastball on the third pitch in the ball count of 1B1S to hit it over the right fence. Matsuo then hit a fastball in the middle of the first pitch and hit it over the left fence.
Chunichi starter Fukuda threw five pitches against No. 1 to No. 3 in the top of the first inning and hit three homers. No. 4 Inoue Kento's ball was caught in front of the central fence and breathed a sigh. No matter how much it was a practice game, it would have been a big shock because it was the first game to take the mound.
Fukuda allowed four runs on four consecutive hits after giving up a walk after one out in the third inning. He gave up three consecutive doubles and collapsed. He allowed 10 hits (three home runs) and seven runs in three innings.
Fukuda is in his second year as a high school graduate who joined as a rookie in 2024. In his first year in the second division, he played 10 games mainly as a starter and recorded 2 wins and 3 losses with a 3.13 ERA. He is a starting resource aiming to make his debut in the first division this year.
Watarai joined in 2024, Mori in 2020, and Matsuo in 2023. After graduating from high school, Watarai went through social baseball and made Yokohama uniforms with
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Since the opening game last year, he has garnered great attention by hitting home runs in two consecutive games. He did not continue his performance due to the opponent's checks and physical strength problems. In his first year, he played in 75 games and recorded 64 hits (three home runs)-24 RBIs.
Infielder Mori played 71 games last year and posted 47 hits, five RBIs and eight steals without a home run. Matsuo made his debut in the first team last year, his second year as a member of the team. He had eight hits and an RBI in 27 games.
On this day, Watarai had four hits. He hit a right-handed hit in the second inning, a double to right field in the seventh inning, and a right-handed hit in the eighth inning. He had six hits in two games following two hits against Chunichi on the 11th. Matsuo also added two hits, including a double, to play a three-hit game. Yokohama, which had 24 hits, won a huge 16-5 victory.
Yokohama ranked third in the Central League last year. The second-place Hanshin Tigers beat the first-place Yomiuri Giants to reach the Japan Series. He gave up the first and second games of the Japan Series to the first-place team in the Pacific League, the Softbank Hawks, and won the championship trophy for the first time in 26 years. This year, the goal is to win the league and Japan Series at the same time.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
