Left-hander rookie who won for the first time in 10 games, his parents moved 4,400km to watch all games

Aug 08, 2025

Chunichi left-hander Rookie Kanemaru won his first professional victory against the league's strongest Hanshin on the 7th. He recorded only four losses after seven quality starts in the previous nine games. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

Chunichi left-hander Kanemaru joined this year as the first rookie of the year. He won his first professional victory against Hanshin in 10 games. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

Junichi Dragons college graduate rookie Kanemaru Yumeto (22) is a left-hander who is called the ace of the future. He made his first-team debut on May 5 against the Yokohama BayStars at the Nagoya Banterin Dome on Chunichi's home turf. As a designated player in the first round, he greeted his home fans by allowing two runs in six innings. In his first professional game, he threw 94 pitches and had five hits and eight strikeouts.

He briefly shook in the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead. One out and a walk to No. 4 Tyler Austin led to a run. He was hit three times in a row by batters 5th and 7th and allowed two runs. With one out and runners on the first and second bases, he struck out two batters in a row and ended the inning without additional runs. He finished his first appearance in the fifth and sixth innings with three outs.

On the day, Chunichi's batters only had three hits and scored one point. Kanemaru, who did not get help from the lineup, threw well in his debut game but lost for the first time. I didn't know then. How difficult it is to win first time.

Until the game against the Yomiuri Giants on July 31, they only had '4 losses' without winning in nine games. Even after seven quality starts (more than six innings, less than three earned runs) in nine games, he failed to win one game. On July 21, he pitched eight innings of one run against Yokohama. However, the team lost 0-1 Youngbong and became a losing pitcher.

The Hanshin Tigers match was held at the Banterin Dome on the 7th. Kanemaru made his first debut win against Hanshin, who boasts the strongest power in the Central League. In his 10th appearance game, he pitched eight innings of three runs and finally opened his shoulders and smiled broadly. Chunichi, who had been losing three games in a row, won 8-3. He pushed the Hiroshima Carp to fourth place.

Chunichi beat Hanshin 8-3 after starter Kanemaru pitched eight innings of three runs. He lost three games in a row and moved up to fourth place. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

He allowed one run in three consecutive innings in the second and fourth innings. Hanshin No. 5 Nakagawa hit a one-run home run in the second inning with a 1-0 lead, and No. 4 Teruaki Sato hit a one-run home run in the fourth inning with a 5-2 lead. Unlike the previous game, the lineup lightened Kanemaru's shoulders with scoring support.

In the eighth inning, he handled the last batter, Shota Morishita, with a fly ball to center field, and recorded three consecutive innings in the sixth and eighth innings. The 116th last pitch to Morisita hit 151 km/h. He caught six out-counts in the seventh and eighth innings with his fastball as a decisive ball. Kanemaru threw a maximum of 152 kilometers on the day. He finished the game without a walk.

Kanemaru's parents watched his son's first win from the stands. From his debut on May 5, he watched all 10 games in which his son took the mound. Starting in Nagoya on May 5, I visited Tokyo-Tokyo-Fukuoka-Tokorozawa-Yokohama-Yamagata-Nagoya-Nagoya-Nagoya. It is said that he traveled about 4400km from his home in Hyogo Prefecture. His father Yuichi said "It's like a gift to look around various stadiums." Kanemaru allowed six runs in five ⅓ innings against the Yomiuri Giants on July 31.He said he saw his parents crying. On this day, his parents cried when they saw their son's first win.

Chunichi left-hander Rookie Kanemaru smiles broadly with director Inoue holding his first win commemorative ball. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

Number 21. Kanemaru throws the number that Shota Imanaga (32, Chicago Cubs), the left-hander he admires, used during his time in Yokohama.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.