Despite a killer heat wave, the starting pitcher throws a 173-pitch complete game. A professional baseball game is a high school baseball game in Japan.
The final game of the Toyama Regional Qualifier of the High School Baseball Championship (Summer Goshien) at Toyama Civic Stadium in Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, on Sept. 29. Right-hander Kaito Ueda, the captain and ace of Toyama Sango, pitched a nine-inning, three-hit shutout against Toyama North High.
He threw a whopping 173 pitches. The game started at noon.바카라사이트
After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning with a single run, Ueda pitched the ninth to end the game. Toyama Sango, who capitalized on their chances early on, won 7-3.
Ueda said, “My teammates encouraged me to throw as hard as I wanted to because it’s okay to score with the bases loaded. I threw with my shoulders relaxed and was able to keep it to one run.”
Toyama Sango advanced to the main round of the 17th Summer Koshien, nine years after their last appearance in 2014. The offensively potent Toyama North had runners on base in every inning, but were held in check by Ueda. The team failed to qualify for the main draw for the first time in 54 years since 1969.
According to Japanese media, Ueda entered the final having thrown a total of 282 pitches in the quarterfinals and two semifinals. The semifinals were held two days earlier on July 27.
Koshien Stadium during the Japan High School Baseball Championship. Photo credit: Japan High School Baseball Federation website
No matter how you slice it, it’s a schedule and pitch count that could be described as overwhelming in the heat. This was the first time Ueda had ever given up more than two runs in a game.
In a postgame press conference, Ueda said, “I wasn’t tired because I practiced like I was going to die in the winter. I’m grateful to my teammates for allowing me to come this far.”
The Summer Koshien, now in its 105th year, is a dream event for the top teams in Japanese high school baseball. Forty-nine teams from each of Japan’s 47 prefectural qualifiers (Tokyo represents east and west, and Hokkaido represents north and south) will compete. This year, the group draw will be held on August 3, and the tournament will kick off on August 6 at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and run for 17 days.
Last year, Sendai Ikueigakuen (Miyagi) won the championship, defeating Shimonoseki Kokusai Kogyo (Yamaguchi).