“I want them to put the players first.”
[MLB]Rockies – Giants (20th Japan time, Arizona)
Rockies pitcher Tomoyuki Kanno started in an exhibition game against the Giants held in Scottsdale, Arizona on the 19th (20th Japan time), allowing 4 hits and 1 run in 3 innings. After leaving the game, he was interviewed by the press and talked about the introduction of a pitch clock and other topics.
In the first inning, with one out, he got a runner on with a double over the left field, but he was able to stop the follow-up and escape from the predicament. In the second inning, a mistake by a teammate created a crisis, and a timely hit from Nakamae tied the score, but with one out and 1st and 2nd base, he grounded out into a double play and kept the number of runs to a minimum. He got through the third inning with his second double play of the day. 3 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, no walks, 1 strikeout. He threw 34 pitches and had 26 strikes. The audience applauded.
Until just before that, he was playing as a member of Japan’s national baseball team “Samurai Japan” in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Sugano pitched 50 pitches in 4 innings in the first round against Australia (Tokyo Dome) on the 8th, giving up 4 hits and no runs. He did not have a chance to pitch in the quarterfinal match against Venezuela. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can describe it as regrettable.One thing I feel strongly about is that I don’t want this to be a good experience.”
The Japanese representative lost in the last eight, the worst result in the WBC. The NPB group had a hard time adapting to the pitch clock, which was introduced for the first time in this tournament, and in the quarterfinals, Ito was hit with a 3-run comeback after violating the pitch clock. Opinions are circulating both inside and outside of the baseball world that Japan should also introduce the system. The day before, pitcher Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) also suggested, “If we want to win in the world, of course we should introduce it.”
What is Kanno’s own opinion? He seems to be in favor of it, saying, “If it’s possible, I think it’s better to do it.” On the other hand, he expressed his understanding, saying, “Japan is slow to get started, and I think there are definitely some difficulties.If you think about it from a business standpoint, some teams will have trouble if the game time is shortened, and I think there will be a lot of problems.”
Still, he said strongly, “I want them to think about the players first.From now on, it won’t be about the team, but about the Japanese baseball world getting better and being able to compete at a world standard.I personally think that if they think about it from that perspective, things will move in the right direction.”
I once again felt the difference from the world. The Central League will introduce a designated hitter starting in the 2027 season. “We’re talking about the pitch clock now, and then all of a sudden it’s going to start next year. Well, I’ve been in the players’ association for a long time, served as the president of the players’ association, and worked for the players’ association, but it’s quite difficult. That kind of speed is required, so it’s difficult. As I’ve said many times, I don’t think it’s difficult if you think about it from a player-first perspective. That’s the only thing I think about.”
(Full-Count Editorial Department)
