Previously, I visited the ground of Osaka Toin for an interview with Akira Neo. The players were in the middle of batting practice, entering alternate gauges and batting repeatedly.
From the end of the hit to the next turn, the players ask each other for their opinions on their batting and listen to their advice. Seeing the sight of such small discussions taking place here and there, I was strangely convinced that this was the strength of Osaka Toin.
Under such circumstances, it was Neo who was extremely enthusiastic about seeking opinions. It was impressive to see him actively talking with his captain Takuya Nakagawa (currently Waseda University) and Kenta Yamada (currently Rikkyo University).
Chunichi and Akira Neo, who are in their fourth year as a professional
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The angle of the bat’s swing, how to use the wrist at impact … It seemed that I was looking for a convincing swing while creating the shape I imagined.
Looking at such Neo, I thought, “I wonder if it’s the type I want to hit cleanly …”. If you hit it in a good form, you will get good results. It seemed that he was trying to build his own batting with such a thought circuit.
[Ideal swing that I have pursued]
Since the days of the Hida Takayama Boys (Gifu), he has not been attracting attention as a “super junior high school student” and was also known as an excellent academic player. I think he pursued everything reasonably and was convinced by his head to solve it.
Since both parents were born and raised in a doctor’s environment, they probably wouldn’t have been blindly overwhelmed by saying, “Well, no …”. That is why I have been chasing the ideal swing repeatedly until I am satisfied.
Certainly, after returning to the batting gauge, Neo was hitting hard with a smooth swing that was both interlocking and fluid.
It was hot last year. I had the opportunity to watch a Western League match at Nagoya Baseball Stadium.
Neo was appointed as “No. 1 Left”, but he was a no-hitter with 5 at-bats. He hits the outfield, but there is no last stretch from there and he stalls. He was frustrated to see it because this is the hit ball that he thought “I caught it!”.
