NC Dinos Asian Quarter Pitcher Toda Natsuki is adjusting to his new team.
In an interview delivered through the NC club on the 28th, Toda expressed his feelings about preparing for the season in a new team, saying, “It feels fresh to play baseball in a new environment.”
He said it was his first time training in the U.S., saying, “I am adapting well to the team in good weather and environment,” and that preparations for the season are underway smoothly.
사진 확대 NC’s Asian quarter pitcher Toda is adjusting to the new team. Photo = Courtesy of NC Dinos
Toda, a right-hander with a physique of 170 centimeters and 75 kilograms, started his professional career in 2021 by being nominated by the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Yomiuri Giants, and pitched 27 2/3 innings in 19 NPB seasons with a 1-1 record and a 5.53 ERA.
Last year, he pitched 812/3 innings in 35 games (7 starts) in the second-tier Eastern League, recording 4 wins, 4 losses, 2.4273 strikeouts, and 14 walks.
What surprised him most about his new team was his Japanese greetings from his teammates. Matt Davidson, a foreign hitter who played for Hiroshima in the Japanese professional baseball league in 2023, as well as his Korean teammates, greeted him in Japanese.
He thanked his colleagues, saying, “I was glad that all the team members talked to me in Japanese first, even briefly, and used Japanese little by little for understanding during training.”
On the other hand, as for the reason why he chose NC as a new team, he said, “I thought NC would be a young team, so I would be a team that I could adapt and throw better myself. In fact, when I visited to get tested, the team atmosphere was good, and I chose NC based on the passion that the coach showed me.”
사진 확대 Toda joined NC as an Asian quarter player. Photo = Courtesy of NC Dinos
Kenshin Kawakami, a native of Aichi Prefecture, said he longed for Kenshin Kawakami when he played for Chunichi, adding, “Kawakami’s number is 11, so I followed that number. It’s not the first time I’ve used 11. It was also used in the Japanese Independent League and Koshien tournaments. I have a lot of good memories with this number, and I wanted to continue that good energy again this time,” he said, explaining why he chose his uniform number.
Sugimoto, who joined KT Wiz, said he was close to Sugimoto as a teammate of the same age as him in the independent league, adding, “I’ve met other Asian quarter players in NPB. “I don’t want to lose the confrontation with those players,” he said.
“There is also a desire for a title holder, but above all, the team’s performance comes first. If I contribute to the team’s victory with good performance, I expect that I will be able to naturally approach the goal that the team wants,” he said, expressing his expectations for the season starting in a strange country.
[KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Reporter]