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| Kim Joo-won is running around the ground after hitting a tying solo home run after two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Yonhap News |
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| Daisei took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning of a friendly match against South Korea on the 16th. After two outs, Kim Joo-won hit a tiebreaking one-run home run. Photo Source = Japanese Baseball Organization website |
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| Gib Jung-won shoots a tying solo home run after two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Yonhap News |
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| Kim Joo-won is running around the ground after hitting a tying solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and no runners. Yonhap News |
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Yomiuri Giants right-hander Daisei Ota (26) uses his last name, not his last name, as his registered name, like Suzuki 'Ichiro', who entered the Major League Hall of Fame this year. He joined the 2022 rookie draft as a first-place pick, and at the time, Yomiuri had a pitcher with the same surname. To avoid confusion, I registered as a player by name. He was the first Japanese player to do so. It was proposed by coach Tatsunori Hara.
He took the mound in 62 games this season, when his role changed from the closing to the setup man. In his fourth year as a member of the club, he played in the most games and posted 46 holds (8 wins, 4 losses) with a 2.11 ERA. Hanshin Tigers left-hander Masaki Oyokawa (24) tied for first in the Central League hold. He recorded the most holds in a season as a Yomiuri player.
In his fourth year as a professional, he was suddenly pushed out of the finish line. Yomiuri recruited the league's best finish even though Daisei was present last winter. Cuban right-hander Leidel Martinez (29), who was released as an FA from the Chunichi Dragons, signed a four-year-4.8 billion yen contract. The salary is more than 10 times that of Daisei, who renewed his contract for 90 million yen. He made 29 saves and 5 holds (1-2, 0.88 ERA) in 2024, but Yomiuri found a stronger closure.
Although there have been ups and downs, Daisei, who has been on a roll since the rookie season, can be hurt by his pride. He took the mound in the ninth inning of the opening game against Chunichi in 2022 to earn his first save. As a rookie, he took the mound in the opening game for the first time in 40 years and reported a save. The next day, he also succeeded in relief and made two consecutive saves in the opening two consecutive games for the first time as a rookie. He made 37 saves that year and won the Rookie of the Year title. He represented Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March of the following year and tasted the championship.
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| After the game, Ahn Hyun-min and other national team players are sharing high-fives with the coaching staff. The match was a 7–7 draw. Yonhap News |
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| 2025 K-Baseball Series warm-up match between South Korea and Japan held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 16th. Korean baseball fans are cheering for the players. Yonhap News |
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A friendly match against South Korea at Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri's home stadium, on the 16th. In the bottom of the ninth inning with a 7-6 lead, manager Hirokazu Ibata put Daisei on the mound. I caught two out-counts in an instant. The leadoff hitter Moon Bo-kyung hit a ground ball to the second base and Moon Hyun-bin to the sixth with a fly ball to the left field. three pitches.
With one out count left until the victory, something happened that I didn't think would happen. Ball count 1B1S. A 155km/h fast ball went to the low course in the middle of the strike zone. Kim Joo-won kicked this ball and flew it over the right fence at Tokyo Dome. a 7-7 tie. He poured cold water on the Japanese national team's dugout. Daisei's face was distorted. The Korean national team erased its 11th consecutive win against Japan with Kim Joo-won's home run.
There was a torrent of criticism. It was pointed out that it was not suitable for finishing, and there were also voices criticizing coach Ibata, who sent Daisei out in such a situation. For Daisei, the match against Korea on the 15th will be remembered as a nightmare.
Daisei had four homers during 59 ⅔ innings this season. Daisei pitched 183 ⅔ innings for four years and gave up 15 homers. I had a painful home run in the final game of this year.
Daisei said in a post-match interview that "weakness came out at the end. Similar forms are repeated, but there are many things to reflect on." Regarding the impact on the pitch clock applied this time, he said "There was no particular". He also reflected on himself, saying, `I'm ending the season feeling my lack of skills.'
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| An official press conference for the Korea-Japan national team was held on the 14th. Photo Source = Japanese Baseball Organization website |
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He said he would like to make up for it by being selected for the WBC national team in March next year. I have to be selected for the national team first, but I think I have to look at the situation. Daisei played for WBC in 2023 and Premier 12 in 2024.
Daisei is the pitcher Kim Seo-hyun wanted to meet.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
