14-Year-Old Switch-Pitcher Throws 145 km/h at Junior Baseball Championship
Listen to the story
A 14-year-old boy from Japan can pitch a baseball with both arms. He played in a big junior baseball final called the Giants Cup.
With his right arm, he threw the ball at 145 kilometers per hour. This is very fast. With his left arm, he threw it at 132 kilometers per hour. This is also fast for a boy his age.
People call him a talented young player. He is a switch-pitcher. This means he can throw with both his left and right hand. Not many players can do this.
The boy was picked for a special team called U-15. This team has the best junior players in Japan under 15 years old.
His team is called Toride Little Senior. They won the championship. This was their second win in this event. Their last win was four years ago.
Many people in Japan love baseball. Young players like this boy work very hard to get better every day.
Vocabulary10 words
- switch-pitcher
- a player who can throw with both hands
- Giants Cup
- a big junior baseball competition
- U-15
- a team for players under 15 years old
- championship
- a big contest to find the best team
- kilometers per hour
- a way to measure how fast something moves
- talented
- very good at doing something
- pitch
- to throw the ball to the batter
- junior
- for young people, not adults
- final
- the last, most important game
- team
- a group of players who play together
Quiz
Answer key
1. 145 km/h 2. He can pitch with both arms 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A 14-year-old boy from Japan can pitch a baseball with both _____.
He played in a big junior baseball final called the _____.
With his right arm, he threw the ball at 145 _____ per hour.
With his left arm, he threw it at 132 kilometers per _____.
People call him a _____ young player.
He is a _____. This means he can throw with both his left and right hand.
The boy was picked for a special team called _____.
His team is called Toride Little Senior. They won the _____.
This was their second win in this _____.
Their last win was four years _____.