Hanshin 8-1 Chunichi (27th, Koshien)

The name of Koji Chikamoto was not on the Hanshin Tigers’ “1st batter” list. The absence of the most reliable leadoff man speaks to the seriousness of the poor batting. The 1st and 2nd batters are often held responsible by manager Akihiro Okada, but on this day, the batting line-up was connected at once after the 2nd batter Takumu Nakano’s double.

It was the seventh inning. Nakano, who was first up to bat, hit a soft fastball to the left center field for a double. “I struck out on a low forkball in my previous at-bat, so I aimed for a pitch a little higher, and I decided that a strikeout on a low pitch was inevitable.” Nakano’s footwork was also effective, inducing a fielder’s choice by the opposing team, putting runners on first and third with no outs. Then, three consecutive timely hits from Yusuke Oyama gave the team a four-run lead.

Last season, the first and second batter duo of Chikamoto and Nakano, who can hit and use their feet, got on base and were involved in scoring, but this season they have not been performing well. The night before, the two of them combined for one hit in 12 at-bats, and Manager Okada decided to rearrange the batting lineup.

Nakano said, “When the team doesn’t score, people often say, ‘it’s number 1 and number 2.'” However, he added, “Today, (number 1) was Shimada (Kairi), but when Chikamoto returns, I want the two of us to create chances.” The work of these two proven players holds the key to the future.[Ogino Koichi]