Seibu Imai mentions Taira, “He says he wants to do it after studying.”
Seibu pitcher Tatsuya Imai mentions the change of starting pitcher Kaiba Taira, a colleague who is one year younger. As he is in a position to compete for the starting rotation slot, he said, “I will do my best not to lose there,” but “I think he is the happiest. ” and congratulated his juniors.
“(Taira) is a child who likes to train, and lamented that ‘in the case of a substitute, if the expedition continues, training will not be enough. I think it’s a good environment for Taira,” Imai nodded.
On the other hand, Taira, who has pitched in 61 games, which is the most in the league this season, mainly playing 8 innings, and marked an ERA of 1.56, will be a source of anxiety for the team if he leaves the relief team. However, Imai said, “Honda (pitcher Keisuke) also has that number (45 games this season, 4 wins, 2 losses, 20 holds, ERA 1.97), Mizukami (pitcher Yoshinobu) and Masuda (pitcher Tatsushi). I think 7, 8, 9 times will be fine,” he said. Furthermore, he made a racy joke, saying, “If I’m not good (as a starting pitcher), I’ll pitch in the 8th inning,” perhaps with the intention of helping Taira.
Taira has been a professional for 5 years and has never started in the first army official game, so there is no guarantee that he will be able to make a model change smoothly. “I think (Taira) said he wants to start after studying. He’s not a random child. So I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Imai said. On top of that, he said, “Taira is a pitcher who is recognized by people all over Japan for holding down only one inning, so if he tries to start and it doesn’t work, he can just go back.” added.
Imai himself directly appealed to the team to change the jersey number “11” he had been wearing until this season to “48” by Shota Takekuma, who retired from active play this season, and just announced it after the contract was renewed on the 1st. . The following day, on the 2nd, Taira asked for a starting pitcher in the first contract renewal negotiations and put it on hold, and Seibu, who is off now, is in turmoil. “I think that’s the most important thing,” Imai said, regarding the players clearly communicating their wishes to the team.
Imai and Taira co-starred on Taira’s YouTube channel “Tairagemu” after “the case was settled”, and at the beginning they casually exchanged words, “I’m glad that I can start next year” and “That’s right, actually.” There was a scene If Imai, who has unfathomable potential, and Taira, who is a first-year starter, can both win double-digit wins, the championship in the first year of Kazuo Matsui’s inauguration will be very close.
(Hirohisa Miyawaki)