Uehara Koji (48) is one of the few pitchers who has achieved great success in both the Japanese professional baseball and major leagues, 토토사이트 and is a few who have achieved success both as a starter and as a closer. He’s a poor pitcher. He earned the respect of his juniors by building a brilliant career from Yomiuri’s ace to Boston’s winning finish.
Uehara, who built a career that could not be achieved in Japan, entered the major leagues by signing with the Baltimore in 2009. In his first year, he played as a starter, but from 2010 he played as a relief agent, and through Texas, Boston, and Chicago Cubs, he played a total of 436 major league games until 2017. In particular, he made an outstanding performance with 79 saves and a 2.19 ERA over four years in Boston, and helped the team win the World Series in 2013.
The person who remembers Uehara’s early years in the major leagues is New York Mets manager Buck Showalter. Showalter has been a Baltimore manager for a long time and has had time with Uehara. I saw well what difficulties Japanese players go through when they come to the major leagues, and how successful players overcome them.
Showalter’s existence can be of great help to Senga Kodai (30), who signed a five-year, up to $75 million contract with the New York Mets this year. Coach Showalter met with reporters on the 15th (Korean time) and advised Senga that there are many challenges to overcome.
Coach Showalter said, “I’ve worked with Japanese pitchers, and obviously (Japan and America) are different. Baseball is different, the situation is different, even the wind. For them, not only the size of the baseball but also the grip is important.” said. He also emphasized the difference that, compared to Japan, which usually throws once a week, the United States has a tighter pitching schedule with a five-man starting rotation.
Coach Showalter saw that Senga threw more and trained more than other Japanese players. However, he said, “His (inning) workload needs to be adjusted.” However, Coach Showalter remembered Uehara and expected Senga to adapt to the major leagues without much difficulty.
Director Showalter recalled that Uehara also struggled at first, but added, “It took him a little while to adjust, but in the end he did it and figured out a way. That’s the encouraging part.”
Senga’s proprietary patent is the famous ‘Ghost Pork Ball’ in the United States. The splitter, which is paired with a powerful fastball in the middle and late 150 km/h range, disappears in an instant in front of the batter’s eyes. It is a pitch that has been sufficiently verified not only in Japan but also on the international stage, and this was one of the driving forces that led to Senga’s advancement to the major leagues.
Coincidentally, Uehara was also a player who used a forkball or splitter as his main weapon, and thanks to this splitter with the highest pitch value in the league, he was able to establish himself as a dominant finisher in the major leagues. Obviously, the Major League Baseball ball is more difficult to throw with a splitter.