Nippon Ham Fighters match held at Scorn Field in Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido on the 15th. The visiting team, the Seibu Lions, led 9-0 into the 8th inning. In the ninth inning, with a big victory on the horizon, Seibu’s small, left-handed hitter hit a home run with a sharp bat.
Nippon Ham’s 31-year-old veteran right-hander Taisho Damai pulled a 144 km/h fastball thrown into the middle of the strike zone on a ball count of 1S. The batted ball went straight and went to the bullpen located in the right outfield of Scorn Field.
The main character of the home run is infielder Natsuo Takizawa. 스포츠토토,After hitting a home run, he went into the dugout and gave a high-five to manager Kazuo Matsui.
It was a home run of great significance to Takizawa. It was the first home run he hit in his second year as a pro, in 51 games and 92 at-bats. On this day, he replaced as shortstop and hit a home run in his first at-bat.
There are two reasons why Takizawa’s home run attracted attention. because of his age and height.
Takizawa, a native of Niigata Prefecture, was a training athlete. In May of last year, he was converted to a regular player. Born in August 2003, he is 19 years old and still in his teens.
His small stature catches his eye. 1m64, 65kg, as a professional baseball player, it is too small even if it is small. He is the shortest among active players in Japanese professional baseball. It is said that it is the fourth time in Japanese professional baseball history that a player under 1m64 has hit a home run. It has been eight years since catcher Tomoya Mori, who transferred to the Orix Buffaloes last winter, has hit a home run by a Seibu teenager.
In an interview after the game, Takizawa laughed, saying, “I was aiming for a fastball. I felt good when I hit it. I want to give the home run ball to my parents who allowed me to hit a home run with a body like this.”
Takizawa played in 48 games last year and recorded a batting average of 2.24 (19 hits in 85 at-bats), 4 RBIs, 13 runs and 1 stolen base. His batting record is very mediocre. He is an infield utility player capable of playing second and third base as well as shortstop.