A pitcher with only one win last year is tied for first place in most wins in both major leagues along 소닉카지노 with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Olix), who is considered the best ace in Japanese professional baseball. The main character is Azuma Katsuki (27) of Yokohama DeNA Baystars.

Azuma appeared as a starting pitcher in the game against the Yomiuri Giants held at Yokohama Stadium in Japan on the 1st, and became the winning pitcher with 6 hits, 2 home runs, 8 strikeouts, and 3 runs while throwing 103 pitches over 7 innings. He won a complete victory in the starting match against Yomiuri 10-win pitcher Shosei Dogo (lost by 5 runs in 4 innings). 

Azuma recorded 12 wins (2 losses) this season and is tied for first place in most wins in both major leagues along with Yamamoto (12 wins, 5 losses). 

This is their 8th consecutive win since their match against Rakuten on June 1st. The Yokohama team’s 8 consecutive wins as a pitcher is a record that has been set for the first time in 26 years since Daisuke Miura, now manager of Yokohama, recorded it in 1997.

Azuma recorded 11 wins (5 losses) and an ERA of 2.45 in 24 games as a rookie in 2018. However, due to elbow pain in his second year, he pitched in 7 games and recorded only 4 wins and 2 losses. Ultimately, he underwent elbow ligament fusion surgery in February 2020, underwent rehabilitation for nearly a year and a half, and returned in the second half of the 2021 season. 

In the 2021 season, he recorded 3 games, 1 win, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 2.29. Last year, he appeared as a starting pitcher in the opening game, but was limited to 1 win (6 losses) due to minor injuries and poor performance. He recorded double-digit wins again for the first time in five seasons this year, and is having a career-high season. 

Azuma, who started off with a three-way shutout with two strikeouts in the first inning, allowed a solo home run to leadoff hitter Kazuma Okamoto in the second inning. Okamoto ranks first in the league with 35 home runs this season. After allowing a home run, he finished the inning with two infield ground balls and a strikeout.

The third episode ended with a three-way victory. He struck out the leadoff batter in the fourth inning, but gave up a double and a walk, putting him on first and second base. He blocked the game without giving up a run with a grounder to third base and a fly ball to the outfield. After one out in the fifth inning, an infield hit was allowed, but the follow-up batter was ruled out.

Yokohama’s batting lineup supported Azuma by hitting a come-from-behind two-run home run that went over the left field fence in the bottom of the second inning with two outs and one on first base.

Then, in the third inning, he scored one more run with a walk and consecutive hits. Azuma, who was at bat in the 4th inning with 1 out and runners on first base, hit a sacrifice bunt to make it 2 outs and 2nd base. Daiki Sekine’s RBI single and timely hit and Masayuki Kuwahara’s RBI double made it 5-1.

In the 6th inning, leading 5-1, Azuma allowed a hit by the leadoff hitter. He struck out Sakamoto, who was in the center of the batting lineup, and Okamoto got two outs with a fly ball to left field, but allowed Hisayoshi Chono to hit a two-run home run to left field. We lost 5-3.

Azuma had an infield hit by the first baseman in the 6th inning with 2 outs, but blocked the game without allowing a run. In the 7th inning, the leadoff hitter got on base with an infield hit, but he struck out Nos. 3 to 5 Sakamoto, Okamoto, and Chono, respectively, and struck out a grounder to third base and a fly ball to first base.

Yokohama’s batting line added 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning, including Shugo Maki’s two-run home run and Miyazaki’s back-to-back home run, and ran away to 9-3, completely taking the win. Azuma handed the ball to the bullpen in the 8th inning with a 6-point lead. 

Maki hit a home run in three consecutive games, his 25th of the season, and became second only in home runs in the Central League, surpassing last year’s home run king Munetaka Murakami (Yakult, 24). This is the most home runs by an individual in a single season, exceeding the 24 home runs last year. He ranks first in the league with 87 RBI. 

Yokohama went on a 3-game winning streak, recording 60 wins, 3 draws, and 55 losses. They beat Yomiuri by 3 games and maintained 3rd place in the league, continuing their hopes of advancing to the postseason.