Giants’ Togoh Struggling After Advice from Tanaka and Mad Coach

The advice of two veterans

Shosei Togoh (25), a key player in last year’s ABE-led Giants league championship, has been struggling badly. On June 22 at Tokyo Dome against Seibu, he allowed four walks/hit batters and three earned runs over five innings, taking his sixth loss of the season. After the game, it was decided he would be sent down to the farm team for the second time this season. The following day, his registration as a first-team player was removed.

“He’s been participating in farm training since June 26, but it looks like it’ll take a while before he’s back in the first team,” said a former team member.

This season, he has appeared in 11 games but has only earned two wins. What exactly happened? A team insider explains:

“One thing is that during the Samurai Japan training camp in Miyazaki for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he learned the sweeper from Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (38) and changed his pitching style, which had been focused on fastballs and forkballs.

He seemed to feel confident last year and the year before, but as he relied more on his slider, his pitching form gradually shifted to a more sidearm motion, causing his pitches to have more shooter spin. Some believe the cutter he learned this season has also affected the spin on his fastball.”

There’s also the idea that all the advice from those around him may be weighing on the earnest Togoh.

“Roving pitching coach Yasuo Kubo (67) and pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (36), who’s undergoing long-term adjustment in the second team, have both been giving him advice out of concern. Coach Kubo is known for his extreme makeovers—notably with pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (35). And Tanaka, of course, is a legend who’s played successfully in both Japan and the U.S.

Both are highly accomplished, but apparently, what they’re saying differs slightly. Togoh has said he can’t organize his thoughts and has lost sight of his form. Their well-meaning advice has backfired. Togoh tends to overthink things. You can now often see him with a deeply troubled expression.”

On July 1, in an effort to help the troubled young ace, second-team manager Masumi Kuwata (57) gave Togoh advice while playing catch with him.

“If what Kuwata says also slightly differs, Togoh may get even more confused. Hopefully, these well-intentioned efforts from within the organization don’t end up hurting him. On July 12, he pitched three scoreless innings in a second-team game, showing stable form, so we hope he can use this to get back on track,” said the former team member.

Currently, his peer Iori Yamazaki (26) has notched eight wins, filling in for Togoh, but if the team wants to chase down league leaders Hanshin, they’ll need their ace back. We hope to see him return to form once again.