Baseball commentator Hiromi Makihara (60), a former Yomiuri Giants legend, predicted right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish (37, San Diego Padres) as a starting pitcher for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korea match.
According to Japan’s Sponicianex on the 9th, Makihara appeared on the TBS sports program the day before and predicted the starting pitcher in Japan for the first round of the WBC to be held in March. Japan, which belongs to Group B along with Korea, China, Australia and the Czech Republic, will play the first round at Yomiuri’s home stadium, Tokyo Dome. Makihara said that it would be better for Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) and Darvish to digest the schedule before the first round, considering the rules of the tournament where the number of pitches is limited. The WBC is a tournament that guarantees pitchers rest days according to the number of pitches and consecutive fights, such as one day rest for 30 or more pitches and four days for 50 or more pitches. 메이저놀이터
At the same time, Makihara advised, “Since the Korean War is important, why don’t Darvish throw it?” The expected starting order for the first round is Ohtani against China on the 9th, Darvish against Korea on the 10th, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) against the Czech Republic on the 11th, and Shota Imanaga (Yokohama DeNA Baystars) against Australia on the 12th. Japan has not yet finalized the 30-man final entry, but on the 6th, baseball team coach Hideki Kuriyama released a list of 12 key players, including Ohtani, Darvish, and Yamamoto. Ohtani and Darvish are active big leaguers. Yamamoto and Imanaga are ace resources who achieved a no-hit, no-run side by side in Japan Professional Baseball (NPB) in June of last year. In particular, Darvish posted a 16-8 record with a 3.10 ERA in San Diego last season, and was ranked 8th in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Meanwhile, Makihara, a former NPB rookie of the year in 1983, recorded a career (19 years) of 159 wins, 128 losses, 56 saves, and an average ERA of 3.19. He is a ‘one club man’ who spent his entire professional career with the Yomiuri club. After his retirement, he works as a baseball commentator.