In the Swallows vs. Tigers game, bottom of the 6th inning with two outs and a runner on first, Takumu Nakano struck out looking. (Photo by Teru Miyaji)
＜Swallows 0-10 Tigers＞ ◇ June 12 ◇ Jingu Stadium
There was a lot to talk about: Yuki Nishi’s milestone win, Rinjiro Shimamura’s happy first home run, and Shota Morishita’s first grand slam. Not to mention, just after a new rule was introduced, Santana’s bat hit Takai Fushimi, resulting in a wild pitch being overturned.
The highlight was that a close game suddenly turned into a one-sided blowout, and in the end, even position player Oswaldo Arcia took the mound. After grounding into a double play, Dan Onodera said, “I was trying to make contact because I’d be embarrassed to strike out…”
The Tigers won big and moved to the top of the standings—good for them. But why did the game turn out this way? Of course, only the “baseball gods” truly know, but I can’t help thinking that the Tigers’ bold lineup change might have been a factor.
In this column on the 11th, I suggested that Seiya Kiwada should bat fifth. But manager Kyuji Fujikawa’s decision went far beyond that. He put Shota Morishita in the No. 2 spot for the first time, moved Teruaki Sato to No. 3, and suddenly reinstated Yusuke Oyama in the No. 4 spot. The problematic No. 5 spot went to Takumu Nakano.
“Is this a big gamble?” I honestly thought so. If the lineup clicked, it would be great, but if it failed, it could have created a strange atmosphere. There would likely have been criticism from intense Tigers fans, questioning what they were doing. Regardless, I worried that this might disrupt the team’s momentum.
But Oyama hit a comeback home run, and No. 2 hitter Shota Morishita launched a perfect grand slam. Furthermore, No. 3 batter Teruaki Sato—though it’s hard to describe—created momentum with an infield single in the first inning. Fujikawa’s tactics hit the mark perfectly. Amid all this, my attention was on Takumu Nakano.
He was the only starting player without a hit that day. It was his third game batting fifth, though I thought it was his first. He went 0-for-4. Playing the contrarian, I went out of my way to ask how it felt to be the No. 5 hitter for the third time in his professional career.
Nakano: “I didn’t even remember (I was batting fifth). I tried to approach it the same way as usual, but when you’re in the on-deck circle, it feels different from the bench, you know? Batting fifth doesn’t change my approach at the plate, but simply put, my batting rhythm isn’t very good right now. I think one solid hit will change things, so I just need to be patient.”
There are many opinions, but the Tigers are certainly stronger when they have a fixed order from one through five. For now, we just have to wait for that “one solid hit” that Nakano mentioned. (Names omitted honorifics) [Hisao Takahara] (Nikkan Sports.com / Baseball column “Be a Tiger!”)
Note: This column has past issues.
