Yakult's Yamada Hits Walk-Off Home Run to Beat Chunichi
Listen to the story
Tetsuto Yamada of the Yakult Swallows hit a dramatic walk-off home run to win an exciting baseball game. It was his third such hit in seven years, ending the match instantly with a Swallows victory.
The game against the Chunichi Dragons was described as a hard-fought battle, with young Swallows players contributing strongly throughout. The walk-off homer in the ninth inning finally settled the contest.
Chunichi manager Sotaro Inoue commented on his team's decision-making during the final inning. He explained that he was ready to use every pitcher available if needed. In the end, he chose to trust reliever Hashimoto from the bullpen to close out the game, but the Swallows managed to hit a game-winning home run off him.
Former Yakult manager Koki Takatsu, known for his deep affection for his former players, also spoke about the match. He revealed that he had watched it live and was thrilled by what he saw. He mentioned that the previous day featured a rare 'couple's arch,' a term used when two teammates hit home runs in the same game. Slugger Munetaka Murakami was among those who homered on that occasion.
Takatsu expressed great excitement over Yamada's dramatic walk-off hit as well, showing his continued support for the Swallows even after leaving his managerial role. The victory added another memorable moment to a season already filled with tight, competitive games for Yakult.
Vocabulary10 words
- walk-off home run
- a hit that ends the game right away with a win
- inning
- one part of a baseball game
- pitcher
- a player who throws the ball
- reliever
- a pitcher who comes in later in the game
- bullpen
- the place where relief pitchers wait
- arch
- a nickname for a home run's curved flight
- manager
- the person who leads a sports team
- slugger
- a player known for hitting many home runs
- dramatic
- very exciting and surprising
- hard-fought
- won with a lot of effort
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Quiz
Answer key
1. It ended the game with a Swallows win 2. Hashimoto 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Tetsuto Yamada of the Yakult Swallows hit a dramatic _____ home run.
It was his third such hit in _____ years.
The game against the Chunichi _____ was a hard-fought battle.
Young Swallows players contributed strongly throughout the _____.
The walk-off homer came in the _____ inning.
Chunichi manager Sotaro _____ commented on the decision-making.
He chose to trust reliever _____ from the bullpen.
Former Yakult manager Koki _____ also spoke about the match.
He mentioned a rare 'couple's _____' from the previous day.
Slugger Munetaka _____ was among those who homered.
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