Nippon-Ham Player Bunts Through Pain to Set Up Walk-Off Win
Listen to the story
Nippon-Ham player Yusuke Tamiya made a special sacrifice bunt during a recent baseball game. His bunt helped set up a dramatic walk-off win for his team.
A sacrifice bunt is a short, soft hit that lets another player on the team move forward, even though the batter is likely to be out. Tamiya's bunt was especially meaningful because of what happened one month earlier.
At that time, Tamiya hurt his left middle finger while attempting a bunt. The pitcher he was facing was Hernandez, from the opposing SoftBank team.
In this new game, Tamiya faced Hernandez again. He successfully bunted a fast 154 km/h inside pitch. Despite the painful memory, he completed the play.
Tamiya later said, 'I almost cried at the plate, but I just went with my feelings.' His comment showed how emotional the moment was for him.
The successful bunt helped set up Nippon-Ham's walk-off win, meaning the home team scored the winning run in the final part of the game.
SoftBank, the opposing team, suffered a major loss. They had been leading by six runs, but Nippon-Ham completed a big comeback to win the game. It was the first time in six seasons that SoftBank had lost after leading by six runs.
SoftBank's manager, Kobokuro, spoke about the difficulty of protecting a lead in the seventh inning, calling it 'a difficult inning to win.'
He also announced a decision about pitcher Osuna, who had allowed runs in three straight games. Kobokuro said he plans to change Osuna's role on the team going forward.
Vocabulary9 words
- sacrifice bunt
- a soft hit that helps a teammate move, even if the hitter is out
- walk-off win
- when the home team wins at the very end of the game
- comeback
- winning again after being far behind
- inning
- one part of a baseball game
- manager
- the person who leads and makes decisions for a sports team
- pitcher
- the player who throws the ball to the batter
- km/h
- a unit used to measure speed
- opposing team
- the other team you are playing against
- role
- the job or position someone has in a team
Quiz
Answer key
1. Because he hurt his finger doing a bunt against the same pitcher a month earlier 2. They lost after leading by six runs, for the first time in six seasons 3. Osuna's role on the team would change
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Nippon-Ham player Yusuke Tamiya made a special _____ during a recent baseball game.
A sacrifice bunt lets another player move forward, even though the batter is likely to be _____.
One month earlier, Tamiya hurt his left middle finger while attempting a bunt against the pitcher _____.
In this new game, he successfully bunted a fast _____ km/h inside pitch.
Tamiya said, 'I almost cried at the plate, but I just went with my _____.'
The bunt helped set up Nippon-Ham's _____ win.
SoftBank had been leading by _____ runs before losing.
This was the first time in _____ seasons SoftBank lost after such a lead.
SoftBank's manager _____ commented on the difficulty of the seventh inning.
He said pitcher Osuna's _____ on the team would change.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever seen a sports moment where a player overcame a painful memory to succeed? What happened?
- Why do you think sacrifice bunts are an important strategy in baseball?
- How do you think it felt for Tamiya to face the same pitcher who had injured him before?
- What are some reasons a manager might change a player's role after difficult performances?