Yomiuri Giants Pick Kaito Ito in Baseball Draft
Listen to the story
The Yomiuri Giants have selected Kaito Ito, a batter from Chuo University, in the fifth round of Japan's professional baseball draft.
A draft is an event where professional teams choose new players from universities and other leagues.
Ito is a right-handed hitter who is well known for his impressive long-ball power, meaning he can hit the ball very far.
In a recent college game, Ito hit a dramatic walk-off home run, known in Japan as a sayonara hit, which ends the game instantly.
After the game, Ito said he had grown a lot since becoming a fourth-year student.
He mentioned that many good things had happened to him during his final year at university.
Scouts and fans had been closely watching Ito as a strong draft candidate this season.
He reportedly performed very well, showing his skills to impress professional teams.
Chuo University competes in the Toto league, a major university baseball league in Japan.
Another Chuo University player, Tounona, also performed well recently as a pitcher.
Tounona pitched six innings without allowing any runs during the final week of the Toto league season.
These strong performances have brought attention to Chuo University's baseball team this year.
Ito will now begin his professional career with the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan's most popular baseball teams.
Vocabulary7 words
- draft
- an event where teams choose new players
- long-ball power
- the ability to hit the ball very far
- sayonara
- a hit that wins the game at the very last moment
- draft candidate
- a player who might be chosen by a team
- Toto
- a university baseball league in Japan
- scouts
- people who watch players to find new talent
- walk-off
- a play that ends the game immediately with a win
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Fifth round 2. His long-ball power 3. He pitched six scoreless innings
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Yomiuri Giants have selected Kaito Ito, a batter from Chuo University, in the _____ round of Japan's professional baseball draft.
A draft is an event where professional teams choose new _____ from universities and other leagues.
Ito is a right-handed hitter who is well known for his impressive _____ power.
In a recent college game, Ito hit a dramatic walk-off home run, known in Japan as a _____ hit.
After the game, Ito said he had grown a lot since becoming a _____-year student.
Scouts and fans had been closely watching Ito as a strong draft _____ this season.
Chuo University competes in the _____ league, a major university baseball league in Japan.
Another Chuo University player, Tounona, pitched six innings without allowing any _____.
Ito will now begin his professional career with the Yomiuri _____.
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