Nippon-Ham pitcher Verhagen (34), who is scheduled to start in the exhibition game on the 8th (against Chunichi, ESCON), made his final preparations at ESCON on the 7th. On mound at his home stadium, he carefully threw about 15 pitches, including breaking ball, as if to check the feel. “I’m pitching with intensity, and my condition is really good,” he reflected.
He was runs in the second inning after a unification game in Taiwan on the 1st and pitched in the 6th. “I’m going to think about my body mechanics, I’m going to relax and I’m going to throw a few pitches.” It is planned to be about 4 inning, and the theme is pitch ahead of strike.
This is my fourth year in Japanese ball. He has learned a lot from the Japanese pitcher. In particular, he often watches ace Ito’s pitch and asks, “Why is this pitcher so successful? What kind of pitches does he use and how does he distribute them? The 34-year-old, who is also fluent in Japanese, is learning a lot by interacting with his teammates.
He was in a slump from the pre-season games last season, and his first-team appearance was delayed until July. “Last year, my condition wasn’t as good as this year’s. This year, I’ll be a force to be reckoned with from the opening game.” Kanemura and Ito have been confirmed for the opening rotation, with Kato Takashi and Yamazaki likely to be the favorites. He will compete with Kitayama and Fukushima for the remaining spot, but he remains calm, saying, “I’m not thinking about that. I’m just concentrating on what I can do.” The right-handed pitcher, who has a top speed of 160 km/h and only ended up with two wins last season, is steadily preparing to get revenge for last season.
(Haruki Kawakami)
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