Nick Martinez (33‧ San Diego), who transferred to San Diego in 2022 and had a successful season, is a player with quite a bit of experience in Japanese professional baseball. Four years is enough time to understand Japanese baseball and Japanese players to some extent.

Martinez, who did not succeed in Texas, went to Japan in 2018 with an offer from Nippon Ham, played for three years, and played for Softbank in 2021. In 2021, he participated as a member of the U.S. national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and also played an ace share of important games. Players playing in the major leagues couldn’t participate because the season was in full swing, but Martinez was able to enjoy the glory of playing in the Olympics because Japan suspended the league.

In the end, the U.S. failed to surpass Japan, the host country and the strongest team in terms of objective power. The U.S., which advanced directly to the second round of the knockout stage with No. 1 in Group B, lost to Japan 6-7, and also lost to Japan 0-2 in the gold medal match, remaining in the silver medal. And the player who persistently harassed the United States was Kodai Senga (30, New York Mets), who appeared at the most decisive moment and blocked the American lineup.

Senga went out in the middle of the second round against the United States and blocked the American lineup by striking out five in two innings. Recalling that time, Martinez said in an interview with the New York Times on the 16th (Korean time), “I was well aware of the power of Senga’s forkball. I was throwing a bat. So I said, ‘What are you doing?’ and I said, ‘I know, but the ball comes and goes.온라인바카라

The power of this forkball, which was vividly conveyed by the US national team, is later introduced to the US media under the name of ‘Ghost Pokeball’, just like in Japan. Pokball is one of Senga’s best weapons. Senga, who throws a fast ball with an average speed of 150km, uses this forkball as a sidewalk for the former family. A forkball formed in the middle of the 130km range falls with a large drop in front of the home plate. Being able to control this forkball freely is Senga’s biggest survival secret.

The interest of the ‘New York Times’ is that it is interesting whether this ‘ghost pokeball’ can work in the United States. Senga signed a five-year, up to $75 million (approximately 93.1 billion won) contract with the New York Mets ahead of this season. In the middle, he also included an opt-out clause (giving up remaining contracts and obtaining free agency qualifications). He was treated well enough and crossed the Pacific. Not only the Mets, but several teams have gathered so much interest that they participated in the war for his recruitment.

During the Olympics, all American players saw Senga’s pokeball for the first time. Adaptation is not easy. However, as they continue to deal with them, batters put this information into their eyes. On the one hand, there is also advice that adapting to the major leagues is an urgent priority. The culture, weather, and even the home stadium are different in Taishan. New York is colder than Japan, and Senga’s former team, Softbank, used a dome. Conversely, Citi Field is an open stadium.

David Robertson, who knows Japanese players well, having played with Masahiro Tanaka for the New York Yankees and Seiya Suzuki for the Chicago Cubs, said, “The weather in Japan is warmer than major league teams in the north, especially at the start of the season. And many Japanese teams do not have a dome.” I play in the stadium. It will be difficult to cope with this cold from the beginning,” he confessed his experience. In fact, Suzuki stuck out his tongue in the bitter cold of Chicago in April of last year and picked the weather as the most difficult thing to adapt to.

‘The New York Times’ also said, ‘The major leagues return to a five-man rotation, not six like Japan. Also, on the ground, he pointed out the task, saying, “I have to adapt to a harder mound and a bigger baseball.”

However, Robertson predicted that there would be no major problems, saying, “If you start one or two games, you will realize what you need to do to get through this stage.” Martinez said Senga was a player who showed ‘leader’ qualities in the clubhouse, and Rick Vandelhulk, who also played for a long time at Softbank, emphasized Senga as a sociable player with a sense of humor. Adaptation will not be a big problem. Ghost Pokeball Now Unveiled in Major League Baseball