Will it be a sign of revival?
The ‘Japan’s home run king’, who suffered a long silence, is waking up.
He is making a turnaround by hitting home runs and multiple hits in two consecutive games. He is a player who is very good at driving, so expectations for future games are also rising.
Murakami hit his fourth two-run home run of the season in a game against the Yokohama DeNA Baystars held at Jingu Stadium on the 5th. It was a home run for two consecutive games after hitting the third home run in the game the previous day (4th).
It was the first time in a season that Murakami hit home runs in two consecutive games.
Hiromasa Arai, 메이저놀이터 a baseball critic, said of Murakami, “It was a shot that was corrected from the first at-bat. He was sure of his resurrection as proof that his condition was rising.”
“Muranokami (Shin Murakami)” descended after a long time in Jingu Stadium, which was packed with full spectators. 2 runs behind in the 3rd inning, 2nd out, 2nd base hit, the second at-bat. He hit an outside fastball thrown by left-hander Imanaga and hit a tying two-run home run that landed in the middle of the left crowd.
It was a home run big enough to be “sure” the moment it was hit. In the 7th inning, he hit a double, which was a direct hit to the fence in the middle left. On this day, he was active with 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats.
From the opening, the batting average was sluggish at 10%, but the exciting multi-hit following the match against Yomiuri the previous day is 5 hits in 13 at-bats in the last 3 games, batting average of 0.385, 2 homers and 4 RBIs.
Mr. Arai said, “It was a wonderful shot that was perfectly captured without going against the outside. It was a sight I often saw last year when it was good.”
Mr. Arai had previously appreciated Murakami’s ‘revision ability’. He says that even to this day he could see it.
What caught my attention was the first pitch that collapsed due to a strikeout on a swing in the first at-bat. Right after the opening, there were many cases where they were hit with the same ball.
In the first at-bat with two outs and second base in the first inning, Imanaga struck out on an outside fastball.
Mr. Arai pointed out, “That at-bat had a big back and the timing was delayed.” However, in the second at-bat that followed, the left winger’s two-run perfectly caught the ball of the same type and course and countered it wonderfully.
Mr. Arai said, “Immediately after the start, there were many cases where we were hit with the same ball. He is watching the last 3 games, and the points he catches are also getting better, so he corrects them in the at-bat and shows them as a result. I feel this is proof that my condition has improved.”
Mr. Arai said in the match against Yomiuri on the 3rd, where he only had 1 hit in 5 at-bats, “The balance is good and the number of powerful hits is increasing. He predicted the resurrection, saying, “He is out of the bottom state.”
It is Murakami who broke the same pattern of ball combinations that had been suffered since the opening. Now, the possibility of rekindling his home run gun is increasing.