It has been reported in various sports newspapers that Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix), Aki Sasaki (Lotte) and Shota Imanaga (DeNA) will join Samurai Japan at the WBC to be held in March 2023.
There is no need to explain the results of the three pitchers. Yamamoto became the first player in history to win the “Pitcher’s Five Crowns” for the second year in a row, contributing greatly to the team’s league championship streak and Japan’s first win in 26 years. Akira Sasaki landed a perfect match against Orix (ZOZO Marine) on April 10th. At age 20 years and 5 months, he was the youngest player in history to achieve the feat and shocked the world with a streak of 13 consecutive strikeouts. With 9 wins and 4 losses and a 2.02 ERA, he posted his best results in his third year of high school graduation. Left arm Imanaga had a no-hitter no-run match against Nippon-Ham (Sapporo Dome) on June 7, scoring 11, his first double-digit win in three years.
“Even in the major leagues, he’s highly regarded when he’s placed in the starting rotation”
A sports newspaper reporter said, “The starting lineup, including Shohei Otani (Angels) and Yu Darvish (Padres), who have expressed their intention to participate in the WBC, can be said to be the top tier in the world. The main scouts are also Yamamoto , Sasaki and Imanaga.The three pitchers have received high praise for being placed in the starting rotation even in the major leagues.”
In international matches, the key is how to avoid conceding. In addition to the good launchers mentioned above, there are also powerful launchers. It was also reported that Shosei Togo (giant), who throws powerful fastballs from an uneven side in an arm-style, has also been decided to join Samurai Japan. It is very probable that he will be named “second starter” capable of long rescues. In addition, Daiya Miyagi (Orix), Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi) and Taikai Ito (Nippon-Ham) will start the team, but due to the circumstances of the team’s formation, it is possible to use them for relief.
Kaiba Taira (Seibu), who directly appealed for a starting lineup change at the contract renewal table, declined to participate in the WBC, but eliminated with Kyomi Yuasa (Hanshin), Odaiba (Giant), Ryoji Kuribayashi (Hiroshima ), and Yasuaki Yamazaki (DeNA), are in line the candidates for guardian deities with high abilities. The talent is there. How does manager Hideki Kuriyama assemble a strong pitching staff? (Kengo Nakamachi)
