Japan’s representative baseball slugger ‘Mr. Full Swing’ Yuki Yanagita (35, Softbank Hawks) has been revived. He gave up participating in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and, at the age of 35, rose to first place in batting.
On the 28th, Yanagita started as the designated hitter in the away game against the Nippon Ham Fighters held at Scorn Field Hokkaido in Japan, and played an active part in the 10th inning, including a three-run home run, 4 hits and 4 RBIs in 5 at-bats, and Softbank won 6-3. led
Yanagita, who opened the game with a right-handed hit from the first at-bat in the first inning, hit first base in the sixth inning, hit in the middle in the eighth inning, and even tasted a home run in the 10th inning. With the score tied at 3-3, right-hander Takahite Ikeda hit the slider on the body of right-hander Ikeda Takahite and crossed the right wall. A large home run that hits the stands on the 3rd floor of Scorn Field.
According to Japanese media including ‘Nikkan Sports’, after the game, Yanagita commented on the home run situation, “I focused on hitting any ball at bat. It was the perfection I felt after a long time.”
Until this day, Yanagita recorded a batting average of .500, .493 OPS, .993 with 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 17 walks, 11 strikeouts in 20 games of the season. 1st in batting average, on-base percentage, and walks in the Pacific League, 2nd in OPS, 4th in hits, and 5th in slugging percentage.
Yanagita recorded a batting average of .275 (120 hits in 437 at-bats), 24 homers, 79 RBIs, and an OPS of .829 in 117 games last year. For other players, the results are decent, but Yanagita’s numbers don’t suit him. It was the most sluggish year in 10 years since he became a full-time starter in 2013.
There was a reason. In February of last year, ahead of the spring camp, he caught Corona 19 and failed to adjust his condition. Because he was living in isolation in a nursing facility, he was unable to manage his normal diet. During the quarantine period, Yanagita, who was bored with his mouth, took time off with snacks such as cup noodles, sandwiches, and glutinous rice cakes he requested from his acquaintances, and his weight rapidly increased.
In an interview with Japan’s ‘Number Web’ in February, Yanagita said, “I usually weigh between 90 and 91 kg, but at the opening of last year, I weighed 103 kg. (Quarantine period) I gained weight by eating and not exercising. He was not the type to eat sweets, but he opened his eyes to sweet food, and even after returning, it was difficult because his eating habits were ingrained in his body.”
Yanagita, who went on a fast last winter for the first time in her life to control her weight, announced her intention to resign from the WBC early on. Yanagita, who gave up participating in the WBC to focus on preparing for the season, said, “I am in my mid-30s before I know it. I will face the season in the best condition. I want to make up for the disappointment of last year with the goal of hitting 30 home runs, which I have not been able to do in the past few years.” 메이저사이트
As a result, the first place in batting average and 50% on-base percentage in just one month of opening. It was regrettable that he did not hit a home run in the first 16 games of the season, but on the 23rd against the Lotte Marines in Chiba, the first horseman of the season reported a home run in 17 games and 72 at-bats. Then, after three games, he began to reproduce his heyday by recording the second home run with the final three runs. After his professional debut in 2011, Yanagita, who has a career batting average of 301.5 Lee, 1403 hits, 240 homers, 779 RBIs, and an OPS of .961 in 13 seasons, is 2 times MVP in 2015 and 2020, 2 batting champions in 2015 and 2018, 4 times in 2015 and 2018 1st place in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS for consecutive years, and boasts a career best nine times. As a strong hitter representing Japanese baseball, his exciting full swing is his trademark.