One year after his shocking Koshien debut, he is a man who embodies the idea that a team with such players is strong. Rebellious spirit and boldness supporting Yokohama Ren Ogata | High school baseball, etc. | Shueisha’s general sports magazine Sportiva official website web Sportiva

A team with players like this is strong…

It happened many times during the game. Yokohama High School’s number one shortstop, Ogata Ren (2nd year). Even though he was forced into two strikes early on, he persisted with persistent fouls and stole the bases. He sometimes has a sharp swing and hits long distances, and he also plays the role of a point getter. Even in shortstop defense, he calmly handles wide-ranging hits and tightens the center line.

Yokohama High School’s Ren Ogata showed a lively play in the first triple match, both offensively and defensively
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Shocking Koshien debut last summer

There must be many baseball fans who learned of Ogata’s existence last summer. August 11, 2021. In the first Koshien match against Hiroshima Shinjo, Ogata hit a come-from-behind goodbye 3-run home run. A good-bye home run by a first-year player was the first achievement of the tournament. Ogata’s shot that cut through the stagnation mood was shocking because Hiroshima Shinjo’s pace was 2-0.

What made the 1st grader’s achievement even more impressive was the comments made by the coach and player about Ogata after the game.

“To be honest, I had high hopes that Ogata would do it at the end.” (Director Hiroaki Murata)

“I thought that Ogata would do it, and would connect me. Not only did he have momentum, but he was able to enter the match calmly, so he was a reliable player.”

It is unusual for a first-year student who has just entered the school to win this much trust. From the official games and regular practice until then, there must have been something that was conveyed to the people who saw it up close.

And this year, at Koshien for the second time, Ogata was energetic. The first match with Mie High School was set for the first match on August 9th. Haruki Tamaki, the captain of Yokohama, said, “While I was excited, I had the impression that my body was not moving because of the ball played at 8:00 in the morning.” was.

Immediately after the start of the game, in the bottom of the first inning, the opponent’s starting right-hander, Sota Kamiyama, throws 9 balls and chooses a walk. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, in the second at bat, he carried a sweet changeup to the right center and hit the first double to return the third base runner Sota Hokomaru. He has 1 hit in 2 at bats, 1 RBI, 2 four hit-by-pitch pitches, and 4 short grounders in defense.