Shinjo Snapped at the Unusually High Tension of Nippon-Ham’s Kiyomiya
It was an unexpected sight.
On June 17 at Sapporo Dome against Lotte, Nippon Ham’s Kotaro Kiyomiya (23), guarding first base, received a tow ball from starting pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa and hurriedly touched Akito Takabe, the runner who had returned to base. It looked like an out, but the first base umpire ruled it safe. Kiyomiya immediately waved his right hand in a wiggle, appealing furiously, “No, no, no.” When Tsuyoshi Shinjo asked for a replay, the decision was reversed and he was declared out.
The “magnanimous” Kiyomiya was very upset, which is very rare. This is not seen very often. He must have been really dissatisfied with the decision.
In addition to his protests, Kiyomiya has been playing more aggressively recently, swinging at the first pitch. What is the reason behind the change in Kiyomiya?
This season, Kiyomiya has been the center of attention since camp. Under Shinjo’s direction, he has lost 5 to 6 kg. In his training sessions, he studied under the tutelage of Softbank’s main gun, Yuki Yanagita, and in practice games, he sought the guidance of Chunichi’s Kazuyoshi Tatsunami. However, at the beginning of the season, he was sluggish, with a batting average hovering around 20 percent.
In a game against Lotte on April 30, Kiyomiya, who had given up a timely hit in his first at-bat, was sent to the bench in his fourth at-bat. Manager Shinjo said the reason was as follows. He said, “Even if it was an ordinary hit, if he had swung the ball the way I imagined he would, he wouldn’t have been replaced. Even if he strikes out, I’ll use him if I feel I can count on him next time. It’s like he’s hitting with a sticky feeling, or he’s timing his pitches early.”
If he makes a mistake like that, he’ll never get promoted.
Shinjo’s anger exploded in a May 25 game against Yakult, when with a two-run lead and runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth inning, Shinjo ordered a grand slam. However, the runner at third base, Kiyomiya, was not able to get out of the inning. However, Kiyomiya, the runner at third base, was unable to make a quick start and was dropped at home. In the end, the Yakult team was able to reverse the score, and Nichi-Ham lost the game. Shinjo was still angry even after the game was over, and blurted out to the press, “Do you have anything?
Is there such a game? A game like this. If we keep making mistakes like that, we’ll never get to the next level.
Kiyomiya is a well-bred, easygoing player. Although he said, “I’m desperate,” he had little sense of urgency and was never able to get into the swing of things. What changed his mindset was the advice of Shinjo.
“Shinjo was a defensive-minded player during his career. He believed that playing with vigor and vitality would lead to a good flow of hitting as well. I am sure that Kiyomiya did not disregard defense, but he was not very good at it, so he focused more on hitting. He probably wanted to concentrate on hitting practice in order to achieve results with his signature batting style.
Shinjo, through Makoto Kaneko, the general fielding and hitting coach, advised Kiyomiya, saying, “Create a rhythm with your defense.” After the interchange games, Kiyomiya took the advice and began to carefully observe the opposing team’s first baseman. He began to work hard at defensive practice and gradually found a rhythm in his hitting as well. His batting average rose to the mid-20% range. He became more positive and his aggressive play became more noticeable.”
Kiyomiya has succeeded in changing his mindset thanks to Shinjo’s words. The true value of Kiyomiya as the face of Nippon-Ham will be tested in the future.
Photo： Kyodo News
