Shinnosuke Ogasawara Talks Admiration for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Potential Transfer Destinations

“The world is so different.”

When asked about his teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka, who joined the team in the 2018 season, the word that came out of Ogasawara’s mouth was always “cool.” He recalled a memorable conversation with Matsuzaka:

“I told him that my pitching form changes depending on the pitch type, and Matsuzaka-san said, ‘Why don’t you try to be aware of it from your catch? I think it will make a big difference.’ He doesn’t just tell you what to do, but leads you with his words. Having experienced both Major League Baseball and Japanese baseball, it’s different from what a manager or coach would say, and it’s refreshing. I want to keep asking him various things.”

His eyes sparkled as he spoke. When reflecting on the decisive differences between himself and Matsuzaka, he said:

“He just practices quietly and steadily. Recently, in a game, he gave up a run due to consecutive walks, but he was completely calm. It was amazing. His composure on the mound is completely different. The world is different, huh?”

Lastly, when asked about the “professional barrier,” which is different from high school baseball where he dominated by getting one batter out after another, he expressed:

“I don’t think I can ever stand on the mound of a Koshien championship. But even so, I enjoy where I am now. I’ve become the professional baseball player I admired. Of course, I’m not satisfied with my current situation. I think I need to learn more about things like pitch sequencing and the batter’s psychology. I’ll just keep working hard to get as close as I can to players like Yoshimi (former Chunichi pitcher Kazuki Yoshimi) and Matsuzaka-san.”