A perfect game followed by a victory. His once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came, but the manager didn’t believe him.
It didn’t take long to disprove the manager’s replacement sign.
This is the story of Shoki Murakami (24), a pitcher who became the center of controversy after being replaced just before a perfect game.
Murakami had a perfect game in front of him in the match against the Yomiuri Giants held at the Tokyo Dome on the 12th.
He pitched scoreless with no hits and no walks, striking out five through the seventh inning. At that time, the number of pitches was only 84 pitches.
In the top of the 8th inning, he was replaced by a pinch hitter on offense and could no longer get on the mound.
In addition, in the next Yomiuri offense, Ishii, a changed pitcher, allowed Okamoto a solo home run to tie the score, and the victory flew.
It was a moment when the director needed an explanation.
Regarding this, director Hanshin Okada said, “I had a thought in my head that I could do it perfectly. He knew he was in good shape, but he didn’t know how to throw this well. He didn’t think too much about replacing it. If he was Roki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte), he would have kept throwing even 1-0, but Murakimi couldn’t keep throwing unless it was a 3-0 situation.”
It was a word that could only be interpreted to mean that he did not trust Murakami. Director Okada is facing more criticism after his clarification. 메이저놀이터
But Murakami was a player with an extraordinary heart.
He calmly accepted the reality and expressed his intention to prepare for the next match.
Murakami said, “(When I was notified of the change after the 7th episode), it felt like a normal ‘change?’. It was good that he threw the 7th inning. He said there is no way that good results would come out just because I threw. I just did my best to throw one inning and one inning in front of me,” he confessed his thoughts.
The highest speed of the day was 148 km. In the era of the light speed ball, it wasn’t that noticeable speed. However, the cut fastball, two-seam fastball, and forkball showed their power and produced good results.
Murakami said, “For the breaking ball to go well, the fastball must have power. During self-training with Aoyagi-senpai last winter, I learned how to wear my left foot, which is a pivotal foot, and how to take care of myself on the mound. He turned the ball to the senior, saying, “Thank you, Aoyagi-senpai.”
Sports Nippon said, “It wasn’t the team’s first feat, but it was the 84 pitch that made its name known throughout Japan. I think I can throw with confidence (next time). Definitely will be chosen next time. It is not too far away that Gobi’s first victory will fly.”