There are no home runs ranked first or third overall in both leagues. Hotaka Yamakawa (Softbank), Munetaka Murakami (Yakurt), and Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri) are missing from the Japanese Premier 12 national team. Manager Hirokazu Ibata excluded the three players due to injury and generational change. Yamakawa hit 34 home runs, Murakami 33 and Okamoto 27 this year. Kondo Kensuke (Softbank), who ranks first in batting average in the Pacific League (0.314) this season, is also excluded. These four players won the World Baseball Classic title last year.
He started without a strong No. 4 hitter. He showed keen interest in the formation of the central lineup. He had concerns about the No. 4 batting order. Prior to the opening of the Premier 12 group league, Gozo Kaito of Hiroshima, Shugo Maki of Yokohama, and Shuta Morishita of Hanshin took charge of the team’s fourth in three warm-up matches.
Ibata chose Morishita in his second year rather than Maki in his fourth year as a pro. Since his first appearance as a representative at the WBC held in March last year, he hit four times at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in November last year. He hit 20 home runs for four consecutive years since his debut season in 2021. As Okamoto and Murakami were absent, Morishita was the favorite, but he joined the team as No. 4. This has symbolic meaning for both his team and the national team.
Japan succeeded in replacing the generation of fourth batter. Morishita will continue to display stellar performance worthy of her fourth batter. She started at No. 4 in five Group B matches and all games, posting a batting average of 571. She had eight hits, six RBIs and 10 runs including one homer. She ranks first in terms of batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs and runs scored in her team. Morishita was the only starter in five consecutive games. Morishita started just once for Hanshin Tigers and started at No. 4.
Japan overwhelmed the rival teams, even though it was not the best team like 토토사이트. It won all five games and secured 24 consecutive wins at international competitions. As the No. 1 player in the group, it advanced to the Super Round that will take place at Tokyo Dome from Friday.
In the fifth group qualifying round against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, Morisita started the game as No. 4 right fielder and threw herself to the last minute. She had three hits and scored three runs. She garnered four walks and reached base in all four at-bats.
He had a hit to the right field with two outs and a runner on the first base in the first inning, and an infield hit to the third baseman with one out in the third inning. He allowed a walk in the fifth inning and added a hit to the right field in the seventh inning. He had three hits in three at-bats for three runs and one ball
He had multiple hits in three of the five qualifying games. He had three hits in the match against Australia on the first day of the tournament, and had two hits in the match against Korea, including one homer. “Now that I am in charge of the fourth game, I want to play as the fourth player until the end,” Morisita said in an interview after the match against Australia. He had RBIs in four consecutive games from the first to the fourth games, and scored in four games excluding the match against Taiwan.
After graduating from Chuo University, he joined the team as a rookie in 2023. He stood out from the exhibition game. He started the game as a first team player. He started the game as a sixth right fielder in the opening game with the Yokohama BayStars. However, he remained silent for 20 consecutive times since his first at bat. He moved down to the first team and gradually settled down after returning to the team in late May. He played in 94 games during the rookie season, posting 79 hits, 10 homers, and 41 RBIs.
A clutch heater with a single long shot. He had a runner in the scoring position this season and recorded 351 percent.
Morisita had a brilliant performance in the Japan Series with the Orix Buffaloes last year. He set a new record for the most RBIs by a rookie in the Japan Series. With seven RBIs, he recorded 38 years
Japan defeated the Dominican Republic 11-3 in the fifth group match on Thursday. Photo source = Japan national baseball team homepage
He contributed to his victory. His annual salary jumped from 16 million yen to 38 million yen.
His first opponent in the Super Round on Monday is the U.S. “This is a real battle from now on. As the No. 4 hitter, I will take responsibility and pride.”
Japan is aiming to win four major international competitions after the 2019 Premier 12, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 WBC.