This November, Yakult held its autumn training camp in Matsuyama (Ehime) for the first time in three years. Young players who had just finished the Japan Series joined the team and worked up a sweat at Botchan Stadium. We asked the players who experienced the big stage to talk about what they brought back from the Japan Series and their thoughts for the next season.
Yakult, Jo Miyamoto who swings bat at Matsuyama camp
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What I learned from the Japan series
It was in the bottom of the 9th inning of the second game of the Japan Series (Jingu Stadium) that Soma Uchiyama was announced to be a pinch hitter, in the scene of no outs on first and second bases chasing three runs. Here, Uchiyama hit a tie-breaking arch and made his name known to baseball fans all over the country.
“That 3-run shot was the most exciting I’ve ever hit, and I think I was able to hit it at the most important point in my baseball career. I think I made it.”
Uchiyama, a second-year high school graduate, quietly looked back. And when I asked him what left an impression on him as a team, he said, “Round 7, where Orix won the championship.”
“We were behind by 5 points and returned 4 points in the 8th inning. I was only a pinch hitter this time, but it was a great experience for me to be able to stand at bat.”
When asked if he wanted to play as a catcher, Uchiyama replied:
“Rather than feeling like that, I have a stronger desire to become a player who can be entrusted with the game by the leaders.In a short-term decisive battle that was different from the season, how did (Yuhei) Nakamura and the opposing team distribute the pitches? I checked to see if they were there, and there were many things I could learn and feel.”
Newcomer Kazufumi Maruyama participated in all seven races. He served as a backup player for the starting outfielder.
“Anyway, I was doing it with the desire to be the best in Japan. As a result, I got 4 hits in 8 at bats, but I had a bunt mistake in the first game, and in the 5th game, Ota (Ryo)’s batted ball was deflected to the back. If it had been a single, it might not have happened in the final inning (losing goodbye) in that batting order. It was a series
