Generally, the gesture to convey a “slider” is to place two fingers together and bend them diagonally. However, in order to throw a slider that doesn’t bend the ball too much, which Sato is aiming for, you don’t have to be conscious of the “cutting” motion while keeping your wrist upright, rather than “bending” it.
“Even if it’s just a single action, there’s a difference in the way it’s transmitted from the brain to the body. He taught me how to use it to make people realize that this is a slider, and the finer details of the sensation. I had never been that conscious of it. I was able to throw it right away after receiving the advice, and I think he was someone who had a lot of experience in teaching me and how to convey it.”
The 23-year-old expressed his gratitude to “Mr. Darvish” with shining eyes.
“Easy to understand, even for pitchers with no knowledge or experience.”
advertisement
“How to convey information”
The same words were spoken by Chunichi pitcher Hiroto Takahashi, who is 23 years old and in the same grade as Sato, and the youngest member of the Samurai Japan team.
“I think (Darvish) would be more able to talk to people like Kitayama (Wataki) and Ito Hiroshi, who are knowledgeable and smart.However, even for a pitcher like me who doesn’t have the knowledge or experience, I will explain things in a way that is easy to understand.For example, I can also explain the names of the muscles in my body.”
In fact, at the time of the last tournament in 2023, when Takahashi first joined the national team, he had barely watched any MLB games, and was not familiar with training or how to use data. Takahashi is confident that he has definitely grown in terms of how he uses his body, his expressions, and his abilities compared to three years ago, and even now, his legendary right-hand man, who is 16 years older than him, is still able to draw out words from his various “drawers” that are easy for Takahashi to understand.
Nippon Ham Senpai: “It’s something that changes people so much…”
Battery coach Yoshinori Murata, who attended Darvish’s cram school since the last tournament, testifies as follows.