RETROSPECTIVE. A little Japanese touch floats on the Jacques-Desautels stadium during the summer of 2023.
Attracted to North America by Brock Nutrite Lambert, the Japanese Ryo Kohigashi and Chikara Igami occupy two of the three international player slots within the Drummondville team. The 26-year-old left-hander and the 27-year-old right-hander quickly seduce their new supporters with sparkling performances match after match.
Mystifying opposing hitters with his numerous spin balls, Ryo Kohigashi triggered thunderous applause by addressing the crowd in French after his first victory: “Thank you very much!” Some nights, number 62 Brock simply seems invincible on the mound. The ex-professional dominates the Quebec Major Baseball League (QMLB) with 106 strikeouts and only 13 walks allowed in 54.6 innings pitched.
Behind the plate, Michael Varga has a front row seat to witness Kohigashi’s prowess. “Ryo has six pitches and I can count on four or five of them to reach the catch zone,” explains the 26-year-old American catcher. It makes him incredibly difficult to face because hitters can’t guess what pitch he’s going to use.”
Chikara Igami. (Photo d’archives, Ghyslain Bergeron)
Baseball fans are also heaving oh! and ah! of admiration at the inspired performances of Chikara Igami. The other darling of Drummondville fans often makes opposing hitters dance with his fast ball.
Brock president Mathieu Audet portrays Kohigashi and Igami not only as talented athletes, but above all as hard workers and proud competitors. Despite the language barrier, their adaptation is going wonderfully. Living in a boarding school with a family in Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover, the two Japanese did not hesitate to get involved as coaches in minor baseball.
“To be around them almost daily as an indoor training partner, I can see that they are extremely dedicated, serious and devoted to Brock. They are exemplary teammates. It’s amazing to see how they can, day after day, be at the top of their game. We have a lot to learn from Japanese culture, as much as they learn from ours,” maintains Mathieu Audet.
A few weeks after the end of the season, Ryo Kohigashi was hired by the reigning champions of the Frontier League, the Quebec Capitales. Chikara Igami is in talks with the Aigles de Trois-Rivières.
Excited by this first successful experience, Mathieu Audet announces his intention to try again in the land of the rising sun for the next season.
Regular season statistics
Ryo Kohigashi
– Four victories and three defeats
– 1.37 earned run average
– 54.6 innings pitched
– 106 strikeouts and 13 walks
Chikara Igami
– Seven victories, one defeat and one rescue
– 1.24 earned run average
– 56.3 innings pitched
– 64 strikeouts and 16 walks
Editor’s note
Because we like to do things differently, we present to you our traditional Review of the Year, renewed version. L’Express has identified twelve significant events for the year 2023. Some have caused a lot of ink to flow; others less so, but in all cases, this is news which has marked civic life and which will certainly have a continuation in 2024. We have also prepared a retrospective of the City of Drummondville and the 17 municipalities making up the MRC of Drummond. It’s one last look in the rearview mirror before we start the new year. Good reading!
2023-12-28 16:33:12
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