The shortstop started the opening game for the 13th consecutive year, and the 16-year veteran of the calf injury has amazing resilience
Mar 27, 2025
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a 16-year professional veteran. In February, he injured his left calf during the Miyazaki spring camp. In his mid-30s, as a mobile shortstop, it's a fatal injury. He had been out of the first team for nearly a month. However, as the Japanese media put it, it recovered at a phenomenal pace.
Imamiya played for the first time against the Chunichi Dragons in the Western League (second division) on the 14th. It was his first appearance in the first team game last weekend. He played seven at-bats in the last three consecutive exhibition games against the Hiroshima Carp from the 21st to the 23rd. He hit in his first at-bat on the first day. He had two hits and two RBIs. Looking only at the opening game, he improved his sense of practice.
a veteran who has no choice but to be conscious of injuries. Imamiya said "You may get hurt while playing all-out during the game, but I want to play without fear. The opening game is not important, but it is important to perform properly throughout the season." Also "Thanks to you, I was able to come this far. I will always run with a grateful heart."
Imamiya is from Kyushu, the home of Softbank. He joined the rookie's first nomination in 2010. He played in the first team since his debut season. Since the rookie season, he has been highly regarded for his outstanding defense. In 2013, in his fourth year, he jumped to the starting shortstop and started the opening game for the 12th consecutive year. He has won the Pacific League Golden Glove for five consecutive years since 2013. Four times as a shortstop, he climbed 'Best Nine'.
Since Imamiya, Genda Sosuke (32) of the Seibu Lions has won the shortstop Golden Glove for seven consecutive years since 2018. In the last 12 years, Imamiya and Genda have been working on
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Imamiya's role model is Kazuo Matsui, former coach of Seibu. He is considered the best shortstop in Japanese professional baseball history. When he was a rookie, second-tier coach Koji Akiyama ordered him to be a shortstop like Kazuo Matsui.
Imamiya played in a total of 1,575 games as a shortstop until last year. He is recording the most appearances by shortstop, exceeding Matsui Kazuo's '1531 games'. Sakamoto of the Central League moved to third base last year, with Imamiya aiming to play shortstop for life. It is not easy for a professional who cannot avoid fierce competition, and moreover, a team such as Softbank that seeks to win the championship every year.
It was good against Kazuya Ojima (29), the left-hander of the Chiba Lotte opener. He recorded four hits in six at-bats and a batting average of 0.667-1 home run last year. He had two hits in each of the two games held in June and August last year. His overall performance is also outstanding. He was 8 for 27 with a batting average of 0.296 and three home runs. Ojima is the Chiba Lotte ace who will play in the opening game for the third consecutive year.
Imamiya said "Ojima is difficult to hit easily because he has good control and speed. I will definitely do my part to help the team win"I vowed.
Softbank will start right-hander Kohei Arihara (33) in the opening game. He is the fourth starting pitcher of his career. This year, 12 starting pitchers in both leagues of the Japanese professional baseball
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Softbank won the league for the first time in four years last year, but dropped its head in the Japan Series. It won the first and second games against the Yokohama BayStars, ranked third in the Central League, and lost four consecutive games.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
