Arai's Direct Advice Pays Off as Shogo Sakakura Delivers for the Second Straight Game

Hiroshima Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura continued his signs of a rebound on September 15, delivering an RBI single to give Hiroshima an early lead against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium.

Batting cleanup, Sakakura came to the plate with one out and runners on first and third in the top of the first inning. He lined a curveball into right field for an RBI single, giving Hiroshima the game's first run for the second consecutive game.

"I hit a curveball. Everyone did a great job creating the opportunity, so I'm glad we were able to take the lead from the first inning."

The scoring opportunity was created in part by an aggressive baserunning play from Keisuke Sato.

With Shosei Nakamura hitting a fly ball to left field, Sato tagged up from second and advanced to third. Hiroshima took advantage of the situation and immediately turned the extra base into a run when Sakakura followed with his RBI single.

The play was another example of the Carp putting pressure on Yakult's defense rather than simply waiting for a big hit.

Sakakura had been struggling offensively in September. Entering Tuesday's game, he was batting just .154 for the month, but he had already shown a potential turnaround the night before.

After appearing only as a pinch hitter in the series opener on September 13 as the team managed his fatigue, Sakakura returned to the cleanup spot on September 14.

In the first inning of that game, with two outs and a runner on second, he broke an 11-at-bat hitless stretch with a run-scoring double that reached the left-field wall.

Then, during pregame practice on September 15, Sakakura received direct instruction from manager Takahiro Arai.

Arai spoke with him during batting practice and again stopped him as he was returning to the clubhouse. The two spent time discussing his hitting, with the manager personally working with his cleanup hitter.

The results came quickly.

Sakakura's RBI single not only gave Hiroshima the early lead but also marked his second consecutive game with a timely hit after a difficult stretch at the plate.

The Carp then added another run immediately after Sakakura's hit, scoring on a double-play attempt involving Tai Sasaki.

Sandro Montero, who had hit his 12th home run of the season the previous night, followed with an RBI double to make it 3-0.

Thanks to Sakakura's timely hitting, Sato's aggressive baserunning and another extra-base hit from Montero, Hiroshima made a fast start as it looked to build a winning streak against Yakult.

For Sakakura, meanwhile, the early RBI was another encouraging sign that his September slump may finally be starting to turn around—especially after receiving direct guidance from his manager just hours before the game.