I’ve been a fan of Tomohito Ito ever since he was one of the best pitchers of the early part of the Yakult Swallows’ 1990s dynasty.
The first time we spoke, about 10 years ago, when he was coaching with the Swallows, I asked what happened to his arm, even though I remember how he became radically inconsistent after a 1993 rookie season in which he had a six-week stretch where he threw between 140 and 160 pitches like clockwork.
His answer: “Too many pitches.”
Since then, having learned from former Swallows pitcher Tony Barnette how much Ito as a coach had helped shape his success in Japan, I cornered the coach during his time with the Eagles. And for the past two years, he’s been back with the Swallows, where a pitching transformation occurred.
Talking with DeNA catcher Hikaru Ito Sunday, about the differences between the Pacific and Central Leagues, Ito said PL pitchers are much more likely to pound the zone, while the most common CL approach is to attack corners and get batters to chase.
“Except for Yakult,” he said. “I like their approach and my inclination is to go after hitters the way they do.”
A week ago at Seibu Dome, I asked Ito about how the Swallows transformation occurred.
He said that pitching aggressively goes against the cultural grain of Japanese baseball. Because challenging batters in the strike zone from the get-go increases the chance of giving up first-pitch hits, pitchers can open themselves up to criticism from their coaches and managers.
Continue reading Catching up with Tomohito Ito
