Shogo Sakakura Embraces No. 4 Role: “We Have to Produce Results to Win” as the Carp Face Hanshin

Hiroshima Toyo Carp catcher and cleanup hitter Shogo Sakakura has emphasized the importance of producing results as the struggling team looks to end its six-game losing streak.

Hiroshima currently sits in last place in the Central League with a season-worst 19 games below .500. With the team still chasing a potential return to the postseason, Sakakura believes there is only one way to change the situation: win.

“Even if we have the desire to win, we can't win unless we produce results,” Sakakura said. “We just have to produce results and win.”

The Carp were scheduled to face the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium on August 13, but the game was canceled because of rain. Hiroshima will now return to Mazda Stadium for the first time in three series and face the league-leading Hanshin Tigers in a three-game series beginning August 14.

Sakakura has been one of Hiroshima's primary offensive leaders this season. Through 96 games, he is batting .255 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. He has been used primarily as the cleanup hitter since late April, reflecting the team's expectations for him in the heart of the lineup.

His performance, however, has been inconsistent.

Sakakura batted just .203 in July despite hitting a walk-off home run during the month. His August numbers have improved slightly, with a .265 batting average so far. On August 8 against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, he recorded three hits, including a go-ahead solo home run.

Still, Sakakura knows he needs to become more consistent.

“Results are everything,” he said. “The difference between the days when I get results and the days when I don't is too big. That's something I want to improve.”

His August numbers illustrate that inconsistency. In eight starts, Sakakura has recorded two three-hit games but has also gone hitless three times. Some of his outs have come on well-struck balls hit directly at fielders, meaning the numbers do not necessarily tell the entire story.

However, his production with runners in scoring position remains an issue. Sakakura has driven in just two runs in August, leaving the Carp in need of more production from their cleanup hitter.

The timing could hardly be more important.

Hiroshima has gone 23 consecutive innings without scoring a run, while the pitching staff is dealing with a heavy workload caused by a series of short starts and extra-inning games. With the bullpen already under significant strain, the lineup must provide considerably more support if the team is to reverse its fortunes.

The August 13 rainout was Hiroshima's 10th postponement of the season and will further contribute to an extremely congested September and October schedule.

Sakakura is already looking beyond the immediate three-game series.

“We have to make sure we don't get injured and that we're able to keep fighting through that schedule,” he said. “If we win, the teams above us will come into view.”

For Hiroshima, the priority is straightforward: stop the losing streak.

And as the team's cleanup hitter, Sakakura knows that responsibility begins with his own bat.