The king of “Yong-gyu’s play” has come to an end. Masaya Yano (25) of the Hiroshima Carp in the Japanese professional baseball league.
Yano got on base with a walk after scuffling up to 22 pitches in a game against the Chunichi Dragons at Bantherin Dome in Nagoya on the 22nd. This is the NPB’s highest record, surpassing the previous “19-ball match.”
The scene in question came in the top of the sixth inning when the team was trailing 1-2. Chunichi starter Hideaki Wakui (right-hander) was pitching well by allowing only three hits until then, allowing one run.
It is Yano’s third at-bat with no runners present after one out. He was out after a sacrifice bunt (first inning) and strikeout (third inning) the previous two times. Pitchers are overwhelming again this time. Strike on the first pitch and foul on the second pitch. The ball count became 0-2.
Up until then, I felt peaceful. But I think I was too conscious of strikeouts. The ball that I put on my body starts to deviate little by little. Ball-foul-ball. This makes the count fair. It was 2-2.
From here. Desperate holdout unfolds. Seven consecutive fouls prolong life. And the 13th pitch is a ball again. It’s only now the full count.
And Yano’s cut ball is in full swing. Body and outside are not covered. Swing starts with the middle timing of fastball and breaking ball. As a result, the pitch gets caught by the bat a little late. Thanks to this, the stands on the third base side are windfalling. Most of the foul balls go this way.
He threw eight consecutive fouls in the middle of the full count. His 20th pitch was close. The ball that slightly touched the bat was caught by the catcher’s mit. However, he couldn’t catch the ball and fell to the ground. He came true to his dream of extending his life right before striking out.
And the last 22nd pitch (148km fastball) was too inward. The center turned away and became a walk. It took 11 minutes and 12 seconds for this at-bat.
The away team’s spectators’ seats burst into cheers. On the other hand, home spectators sigh. The bench hurriedly calls the time. Pitchers should give rest to players who are tired of the game. 스포츠토토
Why? Wakui Wakui was born in 1986. He is 38 years old this year. Up until Yano took the batter’s box, he pitched 75 pitches, which was a good pace. However, he posted 97 pitches at once. He is nearing his limit.
Of course, I feel upset. An annoying check ball flies to the first base. This ball fizzled out and became a bad pitch. He managed to overcome the crisis of tying the game with two outs and third base. Finally, he handed over the mound after the sixth inning. The good news is that he kept the win (three wins and five losses). He allowed one run and pitched 106 times in six innings.
Yano’s at-bat on the day will remain a new Japanese record. Previously, 19 pitches were the best. It was recorded by three players, including Kazunari Tsuruoka in 2013.
Even in the world, 22 pitches at a batter’s box are hard to find. In MLB, it should be traced back to the 1930s. There is a record that Luke Appling played up to 28 pitches. Legendary fastball pitcher Bob Feller was the scapegoat.
However, this is the highest number of pitches since 1988, when the number of pitches was tallied. In 2018, the San Francisco Giants made Jaime Barria feel tired from the first inning.
Lee Yong-gyu, the master of this field, is also the best at 20. He made Park Joon-soo (named Park Seung-min, now Hanwha coach) grow sick of him in a game against the Nexen Heroes in August 2010 when he was a member of the KIA Tigers. The result was a walk.
Since then, he has made Lee Seung-hyun (Samsung) throw 19 pitches (right wing fly) in 2022. In 2015, when he was playing for Hanwha, he also had a showdown with Yang on 17 pitches. He ended up hitting a ground ball to the second base.
Yano, the hero of this record, is a utility that covers the entire infield (second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop). Sometimes, Yano even looks at the outfield. He is strong enough to throw 130 meters at long distances. He breaks 5.9 seconds to run 50 meters. In his fourth year as a member of the Korean pro baseball league, he is running full-time starting this year. He has posted 0.251-0.315-0.327 (a strikeout) in 128 games.
He is also similar to the creator of Yonggyu Nori. He is 171 centimeters tall and weighs 71 kilograms, which is as sleek as the original (170 centimeters tall and 74 kilograms). He also grows a beard. He stresses the nose and jaw, and pursues a strong impression.
There is also an unfortunate fact. He was 25 years old when he recorded 20 and 22 pitches, respectively.
