Voit's counterattack (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball) who played for the first time in July and played 40 games and ranked No. 1 in home runs in the team

Aug 31, 2025

Voit's counterattack (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball) who played for the first time in July and played 40 games and ranked No. 1 in home runs in the team
Rakuten Voit hit a one-run home run in the first inning against Nippon Ham on the 30th. He joined Tipp at the end of June and hit eight home runs in 40 games. Photo capture = Pacific League website



The Rakuten Eagles, the former team of Hanwha Eagles ace Cody Ponce, has the shortest history among the 12 teams in both Japanese professional baseball leagues. In the winter of 2004, Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes merged and launched as Orix Buffaloes, and it was founded after talk of downsizing to the 10-team system. Rakuten was launched in 2005 based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku region, and the system of 12 teams in both leagues was maintained. Some Kintetsu players, including Hisashi Iwakuma, refused to join Orix and wore new team uniforms.

Rakuten, which was hovering at the bottom, lifted the Pacific League and Japan Series trophy for the first time in nine years. In 2013, when Masahiro Tanaka (37) played an active role, he beat the Yomiuri Giants and burst champagne in the Japan Series. Coach Senichiro Hoshino also enjoyed his first win in the Japan Series.

After winning his first championship, he returned to the lower-ranked team in his later years. He has finished last three times in the past 11 years and has spent eight seasons in the B-class (4th to 6th out of 6 teams). From 2022-2024, he ranked fourth in the Pacific League for three consecutive years. Last year, coach Toshiaki was replaced by Kazuhisa Ishii on his forehead after a year. As many as 11 head coaches have gone through the past 21 years. Last winter, coach Mickey Hajime took the helm for the second time after 2020. When the manager was replaced on his forehead shortly after the end of last season, there were voices criticizing the entire situation of owner Hiroshi Mikitani.




This year, it will not be out of the bottom line again. As of Thursday, he has 54 wins, two draws and 59 losses, and a winning rate of 0.478. He ranks fourth among the six Pacific League teams. It is five games behind the third-place Orix Buffaloes. With 28 games to go, it doesn't seem easy to turn the tables.

Voit's counterattack (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball) who played for the first time in July and played 40 games and ranked No. 1 in home runs in the team
Voit, who hit a one-run home run in his first at-bat in the first inning against Nippon Ham on the 30th, hit a fastball in the middle of the pitch by Nippon Ham starter Kato and hit it over the central fence of Econfield. Photo capture = Pacific League website
There is a player who is hovering around the bottom but stands out. Luke Voit (34), a former Major League home run king who joined the first team on June 24, is unusual.

Hokkaido Kitahiroshima Escon Field on the 30th. Voit played in the away game against the Nippon Ham Fighters as a third - first baseman and hit his eighth home run. In the top of the first inning, he hit a first home run in the middle of the game in his first at-bat after two outs. At the ball count of 1B2S, the opponent's left-hander Takayuki Kato hit a fastball in the middle of the pitch. After hitting a grand slam against the Softbank Hawks on the 26th, he activated his cannon in three games.




He hit another shot in the top of the third inning, trailing 1-2. He hit a timely hit with one out and second base. He hit a timely hit to the right again in the top of the seventh inning with one out and a runner on the second base. It was a decisive blow that sealed the 6-2 victory. Three hits, three RBIs and two runs in three at-bats, including one homer. He walked and played the fourth base. It took a shot at Nippon Ham, which is competing with SoftBank for the lead. Rakuten has been weak against Nippon Ham this season. He had four wins, one draw and 16 losses before the game. It was a seven-game losing streak at Sconfield. Voight is 'Rakuten's counterattack'

He had 0.269-eight homers and 25 RBIs in 40 games through Saturday. He had 10 hits in 29 at-bats and posted a batting average of 0.345 with runners on the scoring list. It clearly shows its presence with power. A foreign hitter who joined at the end of June is the No. 1 home run in the team. 올시즌 라쿠텐
Voit's counterattack (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball) who played for the first time in July and played 40 games and ranked No. 1 in home runs in the team
Boyt became the 2020 American League home run king, shortened by COVID-19. Photo capture = Pacific League website
It is a record of how short the batting power of the batters is. Rakuten ranks last in both leagues with 55 team home runs.

Another foreign hitter, Maikel Franco, hit seven home runs in 82 games, ranking second in the team. Tatsumi Ryosuke has six, followed by Hideto Asamura and Daisuke Nakajima with five.




settled in a tricky 'go-taser' league. It became more powerful in August. He played in 21 games and batted .329-5 home runs-16 RBIs-OPS 0.986..

Voit made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 and recorded a career '95 home runs'. He played in 508 games in seven seasons through 2023. He recorded a career batting average of 0.253-425 hits-276 RBIs-OPS of 0.807. He was a member of the New York Yankees and exceeded '20 home run' for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. In 2020, when the game was shortened to 60 games per team due to COVID-19, he played in 56 games and hit '22 home runs'. That year, he became the home run king of the American League.

Voight stayed in the minor leagues under the New York Mets last year. He tried to return to the Major League but failed, and Ollae started in the Mexican League. Rakuten, who needed a long-distance hitter, kept an eye on him and brought him in for an annual salary of 50 million yen.

Voit's counterattack (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball) who played for the first time in July and played 40 games and ranked No. 1 in home runs in the team
photo capture=Pacific League TV
For Voight, who was falling, going to Japan opened a new way. Rakuten has not been out of the bottom again this year, but Eagles fans will be happy to see Voight. Maybe Voit could lead Rakuten to fall baseball like a miracle. Voight said "I will not give up hope until the end."



Reporter Min Chang-ki huelva@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.