Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who failed to join the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japanese team, swallowed his disappointment.
Imai said in an interview after the away game between the Miami Marlins and the Graffert League at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on the 12th (Korea time), “I haven’t had any discussions with the Japanese national team yet.”
Earlier, Japanese media, including “Tokyo Sports,” raised the possibility of Imai’s additional call-up to the national team, saying that the Japanese national team is “pushing to convene a ‘secret weapon’ below the surface.”
사진 확대 Imai soothed the disappointment of failing to join the national team. Photo = courtesy of Rhona Wise-Imagn Images= Yonhap News
Imai, who agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with Houston ahead of this season, announced his absence from the WBC due to his adaptation to his team. And did not participate in the first round in Japan.
However, the possibility of being called up was raised at the tournament in Florida. Imai is currently on the list of reserve pitchers (DPP) for the Japanese national team, so joining the team is not difficult.
There is no need to think about moving. West Palm Beach, Florida, where Houston’s spring camp is underway, is close enough to drive to Miami, where the WBC tournament is held.
However, Imai made a start on the day and virtually declared that he would not join the national team. “I think the national team will win with or without me. I don’t think it matters. They won’t need me,” he said, soothing his regret for not being able to join the national team.
Imai overwhelmed the opponent’s batters by pitching perfect with four strikeouts and no runs in three innings. The average speed was 96.7 miles and the maximum speed was 98 miles, showing better performance than before.
“I’ve adjusted my standing position a little bit on the foot,” he said. “I changed my position to first base, and thanks to this, I was able to throw a strong ball optimally and efficiently using my power,” he said, citing changing the position of hitting the pitching board as the key to good pitching.
사진 확대 Imai pitched three scoreless innings, striking out four and perfect. Photo = courtesy of Rhona Wise-Imagn Images= Yonhap News
When asked why he made the change, he replied, “It’s a process of trial and error.” “When I looked at the height of the mound and the slope of the mound, I felt it was slightly different from the mound I used in Japan. I thought I should make a change because the season is just around the corner. I’ve made some changes in Japan, but it didn’t go well, but I finally found out which posture fits the best today,” he continued.
Good pitching, which came about two weeks before the opening of the season, but he drew a line when he pointed out, “I don’t tend to associate the result with confidence,” adding, “The mound on this day will add confidence.” “You know, how well I did on the mound and how confident I threw it depends more on whether I was able to throw in the ideal way I wanted to and whether I adjusted the situation well to make the play I wanted to play,” he said, explaining why.
On the other hand, he explained the reason for throwing a bullpen the day before his appearance, saying, “It’s been about two years since I’ve done this.” “You don’t throw that much. “It’s just to see how you feel about a specific pitch while learning your senses,” he said, adding that it’s a light bullpen pitch to maintain your senses.
[Jupiter (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]