“I probably wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for director Lee Seung-yeop.”
On the 9th, pitching instructor Takahashi Hasinori visited the Blacktown Baseball Stadium in Sydney, Australia, to watch안전놀이터 Doosan Bears pitchers in training for the first time. Instructor Takahashi, who is living in the US, had a light conversation with coach Lee when he arrived in Australia on the 8th.
If it had not been for the relationship with director Lee, Instructor Takahashi would not have taken the difficult step to Australia. Instructor Takahashi is known as an expert in pitcher development, having worked as a pitching instructor for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese professional baseball last year. I had a good relationship with coach Lee while I was a player at Yomiuri for four years from 2006, so I was able to make up my mind to coach the players at Doosan for two weeks despite being busy.
Coach Lee said, “Because it was my first time coaching, I asked for strength (laughs). Instructor Takahashi has tried starting, middle, and finishing in the US and Japan. And he throws a changeup well. It’s good if you do it. I don’t know if the players can accept it for two weeks, but I think they’ll let me go after studying well.”
Instructor Takahashi said, “The coach asked me to, so I responded right away. Even in Japan, I had a good relationship with the coach, and I was happy to receive the offer. I probably wouldn’t have come to Doosan as an instructor if it weren’t for Director Lee Seung-yeop.”
Instructor Takahashi had various experiences as a starting pitcher and bullpen while on active duty in Japan and the United States until the age of 40. He is so experienced that he has pitched 1591⅔ innings throughout his NPB and Major League career. He appeared in 168 major league games (12 starts) and 261 NPB games (214 starts), posting 93 wins, 25 saves, 18 holds, and an earned run average of 3.82.
There is one thing Director Lee emphasized to Instructor Takahashi. He asked Choi Seung-yong (22) and Lee Byung-hun (20), who will be responsible for the future of Doosan, to watch and teach them well. Coach Lee emphasized even before the start of the spring camp that he was looking for a left-handed pitcher to add strength to the mound this season.
Regarding the future teaching method, Takahashi Instructor said, “I will focus on how the players use their bodies, and what thoughts they have when throwing the ball. I am very excited about what questions the players will ask. I hope to have a lot of conversations. I will get into the players’ minds and figure out what they want quickly.”