NPB's Fighters Pitching Battery Criticized After Anko's Two Home Runs: Former Catcher Points Out Issues

Seibu Lions slugger Kominami Anko powered his team to a resounding 12-1 victory against the Nippon-Ham Fighters, hitting two home runs in a single game for the first time in his Japanese professional career. The dominant performance by Anko overshadowed the Fighters' efforts and drew sharp criticism from former Japanese national team catcher Motonobu Tanishige.

Tanishige, now a commentator for Nikkan Sports, specifically questioned the pitch-calling decisions made by Nippon-Ham's catcher, Yuryo Tamiya. He highlighted two key at-bats involving Anko, suggesting that Tamiya's strategy exposed a lack of foresight.

In the first inning, Tanishige noted that after pitcher Ren Fukushima successfully struck out a batter with his forkball, Tamiya should have recognized the effectiveness of the pitch. Instead, when facing Anko with two strikes, Fukushima threw a fastball down the middle, which Anko promptly hit for a two-run homer. Tanishige found this decision puzzling, especially without prior setup pitches.

Furthermore, Tanishige observed that in Anko's second home run in the fourth inning, Tamiya's sequence consisted entirely of off-speed pitches. This predictable pattern, Tanishige argued, allowed Anko to anticipate the pitches and capitalize. While acknowledging the pitcher's performance as a factor, Tanishige concluded that Tamiya's pitch-calling in this game warranted serious reflection on his habits and tendencies.