On March 30, the semi-final of Senbatsu High School Baseball was held at Koshien Stadium, but behind the scenes, a game that secretly attracted attention was held in Kyushu.
A total of 10 NPB scouts visited the “Libwork Fujisakidai Stadium,” which was the venue for the spring Kumamoto Prefectural Games. There were also three teams in which managers, the so-called “manager class,” were showing up. It is true that most scouts leave the stadium after seeing the appearance of all participating schools at the Koshien Tournament, but even if that is subtracted, the high degree of attention can be seen.
The aim of these scouts was Keita Murakami, a new third-year student at Kyushu Gakuin High School who appeared in the first quarter-final match against Shugakukan High School.
There may be many baseball fans who come to mind when they hear “Murakami of Kyushu Gakuin”. He is the younger brother of Yakult’s main gun, Munetaka Murakami.
By the way, Munetaka is the second son of the three brothers, and his eldest son, Tomoyuki, has also passed through Tokai University from Tokai University Kumamoto Seisho, and is now playing as a pitcher on the emerging team of adult baseball, TS TECH. Tomoyuki is 193 cm tall, Munetaka is 188 cm, and Keita with a height of 3 is 190 cm, which is actually the shortest. It’s not uncommon for brothers to play together in the baseball world, but it’s hard to see three brothers of this size.
“Fast head speed” that feels the possibility
Well, this match. Keita, who is in the spotlight, started in 4th and 1st with a number of 5. When he wrote the results first, he made an error that led to the first goal in the defense of the first inning, and although he chose one walk on the hitting side, he could not show a remarkable performance with no hits in 3 at bats. However, it is certain that there was a part that had great potential.
The first thing that caught my eye in batting was the speed of its head speed. Before the start of the game, I was seen swinging alongside other players, but although I wasn’t doing my best, the sound of one person cutting the sky of the swing was clearly different. He was clear even from behind the back net.
