Koshien Baseball: Yokohama Comes Back to Win With Fast Pitcher
Listen to the story
At the Koshien high school baseball tournament, Yokohama High School faced Kasumigaura High School. Yokohama's starting pitcher was Kobayashi Tetsusaburo, while another pitcher, Oda Shoki, began the game on the bench.
Kasumigaura started with their own pitcher, Kobayashi Masahiro. For much of the game, Yokohama was behind.
However, in the sixth inning, Yokohama scored several runs and took the lead. This kind of win, after being behind, is called a comeback.
Following the comeback, Yokohama's coach brought in Oda Shoki as a relief pitcher. He replaced Kobayashi Tetsusaburo on the mound.
Oda immediately impressed everyone with his speed. His very first pitch reached 154 kilometers per hour.
Soon after, he threw a pitch measured at 156 kilometers per hour. According to reports, this was one of the fastest pitches ever recorded at the Koshien tournament.
News of his fastball spread quickly on social media. Many fans and commentators said that facing such a fast pitcher must feel hopeless for the opposing batters.
The tournament, held at Koshien Stadium, is one of the most watched high school sports events in Japan. Teams from across the country compete for the championship.
Yokohama's comeback win, combined with Oda's remarkable fastball, made this game one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament so far.
Vocabulary6 words
- Koshien
- a famous stadium in Japan for high school baseball
- bench
- where players sit when they are not playing
- inning
- one part of a baseball game
- comeback
- winning a game after losing earlier in it
- relief pitcher
- a pitcher who comes in to replace another pitcher
- social media
- websites where people share news and opinions online
Quiz
Answer key
1. They took the lead after being behind 2. Oda Shoki 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
At the _____ high school baseball tournament, Yokohama High School faced Kasumigaura High School. Yokohama's starting pitcher was Kobayashi Tetsusaburo, while another pitcher, Oda Shoki, began the game on the _____.
Kasumigaura started with their own pitcher, Kobayashi Masahiro. For much of the game, Yokohama was behind.
However, in the sixth _____, Yokohama scored several runs and took the lead. This kind of win, after being behind, is called a _____.
Following the comeback, Yokohama's coach brought in Oda Shoki as a _____. He replaced Kobayashi Tetsusaburo on the mound.
Oda immediately impressed everyone with his speed. His very first pitch reached 154 kilometers per hour.
Soon after, he threw a pitch measured at 156 kilometers per hour. According to reports, this was one of the fastest pitches ever recorded at the Koshien tournament.
News of his fastball spread quickly on _____. Many fans and commentators said that facing such a fast pitcher must feel _____ for the opposing batters.
The tournament, held at Koshien Stadium, is one of the most watched high school sports events in Japan. Teams from across the country compete for the championship.
Yokohama's comeback win, combined with Oda's remarkable fastball, made this game one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament so far.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think comeback wins are exciting for fans to watch?
- What do you think it feels like for a batter to face a pitch of 156 km/h?
- Why might high school baseball be so popular in Japan?
- How does social media change the way people follow sports events like Koshien?