Munetaka Murakami of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan national team “Samurai Japan”, who is camping in Miyazaki, answered questions from the press on the 21st. Q: How was today’s practice? Murakami: I’m glad I was able to see the pitcher’s ball well, and I’m glad I was able to welcome the second cour without injury. Q: What was your impression of pitcher Yu Darvish at today’s live BP (actual practice)? Murakami: It was someone I had seen on TV, so I never thought that I would be able to stand at bat. I was standing Q: Did you hit a home run off Darvish? Murakami: The wind was blowing in a good way, so I think the wind was blowing and the ball was really powerful, and it was a really good ball, so I’m glad I hit it. It became a memory. Q: What type of ball did you hit? Murakami: Probably, it was a two-seam ball high in the middle, a straight ball, or a fast ball. Q: Did you imagine playing against pitcher Darvish who you watched from a young age? Murakami: No, not really. When (Pitcher Darvish) pitched as a suppressor at the WBC in 2009, I was in the 4th grade of elementary school, so it’s really hard to believe that we’re playing baseball together. He’s a really nice person, so I really respect him. I’ve only been involved with him a little bit so far, but I think he’s a really nice person, such as the way he treats the people around him. Q: How did it feel to interact with pitcher Darvish? Murakami: It’s like he’s watching his surroundings. It’s the same for me to talk about my own experiences, just as I thought, and I feel that it’s all about learning. Q: What surprised you most about playing against Darvish? Murakami: After all, it’s big, and the mound is a picture. Even when I was at bat, I was competing, but it was cool…not really, but it was amazing. Q: You hit a home run in your first practice session, how is your physical condition? Murakami: We also practice in order to be able to do it in actual competition, so what we did in actual competition was like this. I don’t know if it will happen, but (the warm-up game on the 25th) Softbank’s game is also coming up, so I want to be able to hit even better so that I can hit in the actual game. Q: Did director Hideki Kuriyama say that he was “excited”? Murakami: I was really looking forward to it, and it was fun. Q: Any adjustments for the future? Murakami: In terms of adjustments, I would like to keep swinging the bat, training hard, running, and so on. , I think it would be good if I could do it while stretching my antenna in various ways. Q: At the live BP, what kind of turn at bat did you imagine in advance for pitcher Darvish? Murakami: I know that the ball is fast, and I know how to throw it, so to be honest, I’ve been working on countermeasures since last night. Q: How did you implement those measures? Murakami: When the results came out, I thought that the countermeasures were not wrong. I’m glad. Q: How did you feel about making the fourth pitch from Darvish a home run? Murakami: The number of balls doesn’t matter. Mr. Dar (Pitcher Darvish) thought it was a one-at-a-bat game, and I was also dealing with two strikes and one ball while being cornered. I was conscious of the feeling of hitting and how to enter, so I don’t think it has much to do with how the fourth pitch is. Q: Pitcher Darvish said, “I usually smile, but I was afraid of my eyes when I was at bat.” Murakami: I’ve been told that by many people, so I guess so (laughs). I don’t really understand it myself. Q: Do you stand at bat with that much concentration? Murakami: That’s right. I wanted to have fun, and I thought it would be rude if I didn’t concentrate at bat, so I concentrated at bat. Q: At Live BP, what type of first pitch will pitch from pitcher Darvish? Murakami: It’s straightforward. Maybe you got a little carried away, didn’t you? Q: Did you aim for the 4th ball? Murakami: No, I’m not aiming for it. Q: How do you feel about being replaced by pitcher Darvish? Murakami: I thought (refills) would come. Mr. Daru (Pitcher Darvish) also looked frustrated, so I thought he might come again, so I hid. Q: How was it when you hit the ball again? Murakami: Rather than at-bat, it was a live BP and it felt like a real match, so I hit the first grounder, missed the swing, and the result just happened to be that way. Q: Was it a good practice in the sense that you saw a lot of balls and swung? Murakami: Of course, being able to see Mr. Darvish’s ball is also a great asset for my baseball life, and I think it will lead to the future, so I had a great time. Samurai Japan’s first real game is scheduled to be a warm-up match against Softbank on the 25th. *There is no narration in this video. note that.
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