The team knocked out the best ace in the Pacific League in Japan this year. Ahead of the game against Japan, Kim Do-young's bat has completely warmed up. The pitcher Kim has to deal with is the best ace in the Central League this year.메이저놀이터

Japan will start the third Group B match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) 2024 against South Korea at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th, with right-hander Hiroto Takahashi (Chunichi Dragons).

It is the second time that Takahashi and Korea have met each other. Takahashi, who was selected for the Japanese national team at the World Baseball Classic last year, took the mound in the ninth inning with a 13-4 lead over Korea, and allowed no run in one inning.

Takahashi pitched 143.2 innings in 21 starts this season, recording 12 wins and 4 losses with an ERA of 1.38. He was the No. 1 ERA in both the Central League and the Pacific League. He is the best pitcher in the Central League in name and reality.

Takahashi's main weapon is a powerful fastball. This year's average fastball speed was 152.3 km, and he throws up to 158 km. In addition, he uses a splitter with an average of 143.2 km as a crystal ball, and he also likes to use cutters and curves. In the past, he threw sliders little by little, but he rarely used them this season. Based on his fearsome pitching, he has allowed only one homer this season. It is a solo home run hit by Murakami Munetaka against Yakult Swallows on September 10.

Takahashi attempted to adjust his pitching form at the spring camp ahead of the season, but returned to his original form when he failed to do so. However, as he lost balance and ball control during the process, and rarely caught in exhibition games, he skipped the opening rotation and started adjusting his pitching form in the second division.

After a month of adjustment, Takahashi returned to the first team and made 15 consecutive quality starts (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) starting with the game against Hiroshima Toyo Carp (seven scoreless innings) on April 28, his first start, and the game against Yakult Swallows (two runs in six innings) on August 13. During the period, he won 10 games (one loss) including six consecutive wins, and devastated Central League hitters with an ERA of 0.68. However, he only added two wins (three losses) in the next six games, and his ERA soared to 3.35.

At a match against Cuba held on Sunday, Kim hit a grand slam off the Pacific League's best pitcher Livan Moinello (Softbank Hawks) at the bottom of the second inning. After being shocked by the homer, Moinello was substituted at the bottom of the second inning.

Takahashi will definitely be a tougher opponent than Monello in every way. However, there is one thing that should not be overlooked.

This year, the Japanese pro baseball league showed extreme pitching and hitting effects. Based on pitchers who finished the regular innings, six earned run average (ERA) pitchers were allowed in the range of one point range, and five of them were concentrated in the Central League. They were Takahashi, Sugano Tomoyuki (1.67), Saiki Hiroto (1.83), Oseira Daichi (1.86), and Togo Shosei (1.95). This year, the Central League had an ERA of 2.89 and the Pacific League 3.04.

Unlike the mound's height soaring without knowing that it was sky high, hitters' performances have bottomed out. This year, the Central League's team batting average was 0.245 and the Pacific League was 0.241. In particular, the number of home runs in the Central League fell from 643 in 2023 to 472 and 503 in the Pacific League this year, compared to 607 in the Pacific League. There are people who doubt the official ball for the phenomenon of riding and pitching, but so far, nothing is certain. The important fact is that there is no need to be afraid of the stellar performance of Japanese pitchers this year simply by looking at the numbers.

In addition, although Takahashi is said to throw up to 158km of fastballs, he does not continue to throw late 150km of fastballs like Rocky Sasaki. This can be seen from the fact that the average speed remains in the early 150km range.

In the match against Cuba, Kim destroyed the opponent team's ace player in the early stages with his own strength, bringing Korea an early victory. If Kim can beat Takahashi early in the match against Japan, he can catch Japan, dubbed the "best" in the world. Kim can do it.