Masato Morishita Returns to Form After Minor-League Stint, Leads Carp to Victory Over Hanshin

Hiroshima Toyo Carp ace Masato Morishita rediscovered his form at a crucial moment, leading the team to a 6-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers at Mazda Stadium on August 14.

The victory snapped Hiroshima's six-game losing streak and prevented the team from falling into a season-worst seven-game skid.

Morishita was the biggest reason why.

The 28-year-old right-hander allowed just five hits and one run over eight innings, striking out five while throwing 113 pitches. The victory was his sixth of the season and his first since June 13 against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Morishita was in control from the opening inning, retiring the first nine batters he faced.

Hanshin finally threatened in the fourth inning when Koji Chikamoto and Takatera produced consecutive hits to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Morishita escaped the jam, however, inducing a double play from Takumu Nakano before striking out Teruaki Sato.

He faced another major threat in the fifth inning with runners on second and third, but struck out pinch-hitter Melvin Garcia to preserve the lead.

The only run he allowed came in the eighth inning, but Morishita completed the inning to give Hiroshima a much-needed dominant start.

He also contributed at the plate.

With two outs and runners on first and second in the second inning, Morishita lined a run-scoring single to left field against Hanshin starter Yuki Saiki, giving the Carp their first run.

The RBI was particularly significant because Hiroshima had been shut out in consecutive games and had gone 24 straight innings without scoring.

The offense finally came alive after that.

Ryoma Kikuchi hit a solo home run in the third inning, followed by Taisei Sasaki's fourth home run of the season in the fourth. Hiroshima eventually scored six runs, providing Morishita with more than enough support.

After the game, Morishita expressed relief at finally getting the win.

“I'm really glad we won,” he said.

He also took confidence from defeating the league-leading Tigers.

“They're a really strong team in this league, so being able to beat them on the mound gave me a lot of confidence.”

The performance was especially meaningful given Morishita's struggles earlier in the season.

In July, he was sent to the minors for the first time in an effort to regain his form. He returned to the first team on August 7 against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and pitched seven innings while allowing two runs, but took the loss.

Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai saw a clear difference in Morishita's latest outing.

“He was clearly different from his previous start. Today's pitching is what I believe his true form looks like,” Arai said.

Morishita was reluctant to dwell on his time in the minors.

“I don't really want to look back on it too much,” he admitted.

Instead, he focused on what comes next.

“From here, I want to keep working hard so I can lead the team with both my pitching and my hitting.”

For a Carp team struggling to stay in the postseason race, Morishita's return to form could not have come at a better time.