Hanshin won the league title for the first time in 18 years. There were seasons when we were close to winning the pennant, but we missed out on a few moments.

The factor that helped us win the championship was the "growth both offensively and defensively" under the guidance of Coach Okada, who took charge again this season.

【Details】Hanshin Central League champion for the sixth time in 18 years, 6 consecutive wins

Looking back on Hanshin's strength in "Okada Bushi" Beyond reaching "normal"

【Factor 1】Thorough strengthening between the two plays has borne fruit

Let's start with defence.

Hanshin has conceded the fewest goals in the league so far.

In the background, coach OKADA Shofu has set the theme of "defensive and winning baseball" and thoroughly strengthened the defense.

NAKANO Takumu Special Defense at Camp (February)

After taking office, the first thing I did was play second and short.

For two years since his rookie, he has become a regular shortstop player, and last season he converted Takumu Nakano, who was selected as the best nine, to the second. It was a decision to make the most of his agility.

Short KINAMI Seiya

Short has a reputation for shoulder strength, and both fifth-year players Seiya Kinami and Ryuhei Obata competed from the fall camp.

The emphasis we placed on from the camp was to make sure we made sure we made a double play.

Until last season, Hanshin had cases where a runner could get an out at second base when he could get a double play, but the first base was safe and a runner remained.

Coach Okada noticed that the remaining runners had conceded a goal, so he regarded it as an issue and imposed basic practice.

The players not only received knocks, but also repeatedly measured the time until the ball flew and the ball passed through second base and reached first base, eliminating waste and improving the accuracy of the play.

(left) NAKANO (right) KINAMI

This season, while Shortstop was mainly used by Kinami, the "strikeout rate," which indicates the success rate of double plays, was 69.4%. That's up from 9.10% last season (as of September 58).



When you want a double play, the battery hits the ball and makes sure you get two outs.

Nakano grabbing the winning ball (right)

Coach Okada's new two-way defence has repeatedly nipped the seeds in the bud, which has led to the fewest goals conceded in the league so far this season, 374, which confirms our strength.

【Factor 2】Ball identification penetration

Next is the offensive side.

One of Hanshin's most outstanding attacks this season is the number of foreballs. The mindset of identifying the ball has permeated the team, and we have been able to accumulate victories by steadily getting on base and scoring runs.

The number of foreballs selected is 452, which is by far the highest among 12 teams. (As of September 9)

This is a significant increase from last season's 13.

Coach OKADA Shofu told the players the importance of identifying the ball before the start of the season, and also asked the team front desk to increase the number of foreball points, which is the standard that leads to the players' annual salary.

Coach Okada talked about the importance of identifying the ball and choosing the foreball, based on his own experience playing in the second game during his playing days.

Coach
Okada: "From the opposite point of view, I really hate being hit by a foreball when I'm defending, especially between second and short, which means a lot of work and a lot of work. You can't help getting hits, but it's hard to get on base on a foreball."

No.4・OYAMA Yusuke

What I conveyed to the players in a sour manner permeated the team.

▽ No. 4 Yusuke Oyama has 59 pieces
, far more than last season's 88 ▽ No. 1 Koji Chikamoto has 64 ▽
No. 2 Takumu Nakano had 5 as early as May, surpassing last season's 18. (Figures are as of September 53)

Oyama pushes out four balls

In addition, although the team batting average is third in the league, ▽ 3
runs scored ▽ on-base percentage is 500/3/2, both of which are the best in the
league.

Throughout the season, he has been steadily getting on base with a foreball and turning that into a score.

Coach Okada told the press after winning the match against Chunichi on 8 August by choosing nine foreballs.

Coach
Okada: "The atmosphere is such that we don't swing the ball in important areas, and the players on the bench are most happy when they see the ball."

He revealed that the awareness of identifying the ball has permeated the team.

Although it was not flashy, Okada's goal of solid baseball became the foundation for the team to win the championship for the first time in 18 years.

At the press conference after the victory, Coach Okada looked back with a satisfied expression.

Coach
Okada: "I didn't expect to arrive so early in my first year in office. Since around May, we have been a young team, so we gradually improved in the matches, but our speed was fast. We were able to do well, but in terms of what will happen in September, I think we will really improve and help the whole team. When you're in a team, it's hard to tell if you're improving, but to be honest, if you were doing it normally, you would have kept winning. It's funny what the director says, but somehow I became stronger. The last time we won the championship in 1, we were a complete team with many members who won the championship in 5, and we didn't have much to say and we didn't communicate much with the players. This year, I felt that I couldn't convey what I wanted to do and how defensive baseball was emphasized, so I had more opportunities to talk to the players."