“I’m going to throw a strike, so don’t blow it too far.”

Los Angeles Angels teammates met again as enemies. Japan and Mexico will play the semi-finals of the 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic) at Londipo Park in Miami, Florida, on the 21st (hereinafter Korean time).

Mexico announced left-hander Patrick Sandoval as the starting pitcher, and Japan will have right-hander Sasaki Rocky, a “perfect pitcher” who throws 165 km.

Sandoval is a player who plays together with Shohei Ohtani, a star of the Japanese national team, for the Angels. He is also known for being close friends. Such a situation where Sandoval has to deal with the Japanese lineup centered on Ohtani. Starting from the semi-finals, Ohtani will only hit the batter without pitching. Sandoval and Ohtani’s two-hit match is also drawing much attention.

The Japanese national team is training at a college stadium in Miami. On the 19th, he digested group training. According to Japan’s ‘Nikkan Sports’ report, Ohtani had a long conversation with manager Hideki Kuriyama after the catch ball. It was a conversation of about 10 minutes.

When asked if he had heard any information about Sandoval from Ohtani, Kuriyama said “yes”. Coach Kuriyama said, “He’s a pitcher who throws a good ball. But I don’t want to play against him. There are a lot of players in the major leagues or good in the entire Mexican team. Rather than fighting one-on-one, I have the impression that the team is multiplied when working together.” “I will do everything I can while analyzing well,” he said.

Kensuke Kondo, who is in charge of the second hitter of the Japanese batting line, said, “I heard about Sandoval from Ohtani. He told me to be careful with the slider and changeup.” He played with Sandoval, so he is a typo that he knows better than anyone. 안전놀이터

Sandoval and the Mexican national team also had team training at Londipor Park on the 19th. Sandoval proceeded with his personal training schedule prior to the mound, including catch ball, as scheduled.

In an interview with ‘ESPN Spain’, Sandoval said, “Japanese hitters rarely miss a swing. First, you have to throw the ball into the strike zone and wait for the next result.” The confrontation with Ohtani is a big topic even locally. Sandoval smiled when asked if he had anything he wanted to say to Ohtani and replied, “I’m going to throw a strike. I hope you don’t blow it too far.”