Chiba – Fumiya Motomae worked five innings in his pro debut to earn the win as the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines clobbered the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 16-5 on Thursday.
Motomae (1-0), a 23-year-old lefty who turned pro on a non-roster developmental contract, allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two as the Marines became the last of the PL’s six teams to get into the win column.
“I was incredibly nervous taking the mound, but I was able to pitch the way I know how,” said Motomae, the Marines’ first pick in NPB’s 2019 developmental draft.
Marines skipper Tadahito Iguchi said he expects better from the youngster.
“To be honest, he didn’t pitch all that well,” Iguchi said. “He’s a much better pitcher than he showed today, and I expect to see that going forward.”
Hisanori Yasuda had a pair of RBI doubles and drove in five runs for the hosts at Chiba’s Zozo Marine Stadium, while Leonys Martin and Brandon Laird each homered for the Marines.
The Eagles came from a run down in a three-run second, but Lotte whacked right-hander Ryota Takinaka for 10 runs on three walks, a hit batsmen and seven hits over 1⅔ innings.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times