Life is a series of battles. However, only a handful of people continue to win until the end. Well, if you lose, does that mean it’s over? Life goes on forever. In that case, I think it’s important how you lose. Whether a person learns from losing or not will have a major impact on his or her life.
So, this time I would like to talk about the “defeat process” in baseball.
The match between Chunichi and DeNA on August 25th. In the top of the 9th inning, with Chunichi trailing 2-8, pitcher Ren Kondo was thrown into the DeNA batting lineup and unexpectedly gave up 10 runs in one inning. The 62 pitches he used in one inning is the second-highest in professional baseball history. Even though his shoulders were slumped and he was gasping for breath, some questioned the management of coach Kazuyoshi Tasunami, who did not substitute him due to cancer.
Pitcher Kondo, who is in his third year of training, had little practical experience last year due to an injury, so this was his first time on the mound for the first team in two years. However, as he continued to be hit repeatedly and conceded points, fans of the opposing team gradually began to tell him to do his best.
It’s not hard to understand why the team didn’t want to bring in a major pitcher in a game that was likely to be a loss, and the leaders probably had expectations for Kondo, who wanted him to keep things under control… …It really hurt my heart to watch it.
Even though he was losing, pitcher Kondo must have had a special feeling as he was betting on this, as if he could finish the game properly, it would lead to the next game. However, I can imagine that it must have been a huge shock for the outcome to turn out like this. The next day, it was announced that Kondo would be dropped from the second team.
About a week after this event, the game between the Giants and DeNA took place on September 2nd. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Giants trailing by 8 runs at 4-12, infielder Takumi Kitamura took the mound as the 8th pitcher.
Although it is common in the Major Leagues, it is rare for fielders to pitch in Japan, and it was the first time in three years since infielder Daiki Masuda of the Giants took the field in the Giants vs. Hanshin game on August 7, 2020.
Dealing with defeat…I wish I could put it in a better way. If you can think of any, please let me know.
According to reports, pitcher Kitamura volunteered to pitch because he realized that there were not many pitchers left. How much courage must it have taken for Kitamura, who spent most of his high school years as an infielder after turning professional, to stand on a professional mound as a pitcher?
Although Kitamura hit a solo home run, he completed the first inning with just one run, and the packed audience, players and coaches on the bench gave him a big round of applause. I thought this scene showed director Tatsunori Hara’s flexibility as a veteran.
Immediately after this match, comments that were seen on social media were, “It was disrespectful to the opponent.” As I wrote in the previous series, I think it’s Japanese aesthetics to never cut corners until the very end.
But the team’s biggest goal is to win the pennant race. There are times when it is more important to protect the limited number of players, even if it means throwing away the one win right in front of you. In the major leagues, forcing a fielder to pitch in an emergency is never considered disrespectful to the opponent. This is because I understand that it is a very rational idea in aiming for (final) victory.
And, surprisingly, the fans are also watching with warm eyes. It’s not a scene that can be seen easily throughout the year, so there’s also a bonus that will make you feel satisfied that you were able to see something rare.
A pitcher who appears when he is losing is sometimes referred to as a “losing pitcher,” but there is actually another type. That’s the pitcher who comes in a close second behind.
Former Yakult pitcher Kenichi Matsuoka was just such a pitcher.
If the starting pitcher’s job is to limit the innings to three runs in the seventh inning, their ultimate goal is to not allow even one extra run. When we won in 2015, we had the winning formula of Roman, Ondrusek, and Barnett, but behind that was Matsuken.
He came out with a narrow lead behind, pitched well, and was able to turn things around. I think I was able to win not only because of the winning pattern, but also because of the winning stars I picked up like that. As long as they don’t push back, the fans will continue to cheer until the end. If the pitcher behind the team does his best, even if the game is a loss, the fans can go home looking forward.
This is not a famous quote from the Sendai Ikuei coach who lost to Keio in the summer Koshien final, but I also think that “life is a repechage game.”
The result may have been very disappointing this time, but I would like to cheer Kondo loudly the next time he pitches.
★Shuko Yamamoto
Born October 2, 1996, from Kanagawa Prefecture. Free caster. He grew up in a baseball-loving family and before he knew it, he became a baseball freak.
Since 2019, he has been a caster for “Warspo x MLB” (NHK BS1).His cat’s name is Valentin
★Hagiko Yamamoto’s “Waiting for 6-4-3” is updated every Saturday morning!
2023-09-09 18:45:00
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