The 4th batter in the opening game → Outfielder → Outfielder → 1st-tier registration canceled, and what happened to the odd outfielder who is the number one hit

Apr 22, 2025

Rakuten outfielder Tatsumi made headlines when he attended the Golden Glove Awards last year with gold paint from head to toe. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

Datsumi threw a bullpen session at the Okinawa camp on February 7th, with Mikitani, the owner, and Ishii, the general manager. He threw a fastball up to 152 kilometers per hour. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

Rakuten Eagles outfielder Tatsumi Ryosuke (29) is often in the spotlight for his outstanding defensive skills as well as his outstanding words and actions. He made headlines when he attended the Golden Glove Awards last year with gold paint from head to toe. Two years ago, when he won the Golden Glove for Outfielder in 2022, he kept his promise that `I'll wear gold clothes on top and bottom next time.' He also won three awards at the NPB Awards, including Samurai (Musa), Shogyun (General of the Shogunate Era), and killer Jack Ripper cosplay. It broke the rather ceremonial and hard awards atmosphere in a unique way.

In 2024, when he was in his seventh year as a member of the club, he achieved his best performance. He played in 143 games and all games with a batting average of 294-158 hits, seven home runs, 58 RBIs, 68 runs and 20 steals. He ranked first in the number of hits in the Pacific League and second in the batting average. For the first time, he was named the best player by position with the most outfield votes. He also won the Golden Glove Award for the fourth consecutive year. He recorded 397 suicides (刺殺) as an outfielder, breaking the record in 76 years.

He also made headlines in the offseason. Like Shohei Ohtani (31, LA Dodgers), he said he would challenge 'Iridu', which doubles as a batter and pitcher. It wasn't just a spout. On Feb. 7, a week after the start of spring camp, he entered the bullpen at Okinawa Gin Stadium. He threw seven pitches in front of owner Hiroshi Mikitani and Kazuhisa Ishii. He cheered when he had a maximum speed of 152 km/h.

After pitching in the bullpen, Tatsumi said "I think I can throw a faster ball in the game. I think it would be more fun to throw against the batter." He said he would aim for the `25 wins and losses.' The remark was made with the mind of Masahiro Tanaka, who was a member of Rakuten in 2013, "24 wins, no losses".

The eccentric Datsumi's 'Idolryu' challenge ended with an event. Both Ishii and Miki Hajime were opposed. I'm just not ready as a pitcher.

Datsumi presented samurai, shogun, and killer Jack Ripper cosplay at the NPB Awards. Tatsumi ranked No. 1 in hits and No. 2 in batting average in the Pacific League last year. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

Not only that, but there was a lack of stamina.

On the 21st, a day off, Rakuten excluded Tatsumi from the first-team entry. Expectations were high because it was a season right after taking a career high, but the slump deepened.

He played in 18 games and recorded 11 hits in 57 at-bats for a batting average of 0.193. He had one RBI, six runs and three steals without a home run. The center hitter was too weak in the chance. He marked 1 hit in 12 at-bats and a 0.083 batting average with runners in scoring position. OPS (On-base plus slugging) 0.505. This is a disastrous performance. Tatsumi batted .323 in scoring last season.

Opener against the Orix Buffaloes on March 28. He played as the fourth batter. In his first game of the season, he reported his first hit in his third at-bat. He hit two hits and walked three times in the opening three consecutive games to get on base. He showed his presence as a center hitter in his own way.

The sense of hitting continued to fall. The bench moved as the slump continued. Tatsumi was removed from the starting lineup for the first time this season against the Softbank Hawks on the 17th. Tatsumi played as a pinch runner in the second half of the game and entered center field.

Change was needed in some way. Tatsumi had no hits in five at-bats against Softbank the previous day (16th). He started in center field and struck out swinging three times in a row from his first at-bat.

Tatsumi suddenly declared a double whammy as a pitcher and a batter. He said his goal was to win and lose 25 games as a pitcher. Photo capture = Rakuten Eagles SNS

He entered the game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Tuesday. He entered the game in the eighth inning. With a 4-1 and 3-point lead, he stepped up to center field. A mistake in the ninth inning caused the runner to advance. His batting was bad, but his defense was also disappointing. The next day, Rakuten's leadership decided to reorganize the second team.

Tatsumi hit more than 110 hits for three consecutive years until last year. If there are no particular variables, the batting pace will rise at some point.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.