The 9th inning begins. The score is 3-1. It's the home team's last at-bat, trailing by 2 runs. (May 31 at Escon Field, Hokkaido, Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Nippon-Ham Fighters)

A series of consecutive hits opens up an opportunity. With no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, a successful sacrifice bunt is executed. It's a tie chance with one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd base. However, the first pinch hitter (Yoshida Kengo) strikes out. It's desperate. Now only one out remains, and the batting order goes down to the 9th position.

Again, time is called. The batter changes once more. It's a series of consecutive pinch hitting operations. The manager informs the umpire of the substitution. But it's completely unexpected. It's a name nobody anticipated. "Pinch hitter, Yazawa Kota."

Everyone is taken aback. There must be some misunderstanding. Everyone looks at manager Shinjo Tsuyoshi (53) with that expression.

That makes sense. The player named Yazawa, who is called as a pinch hitter, is a left-handed batter. The opposing mound pitcher is also left-handed (Suzuki Shota).

Even if left-right matchups are considered meaningless, it's still perplexing. In this critical moment, to use a left-handed batter against a left-handed pitcher? It's a strange choice, even for an eccentric manager. At that time, there was clearly one right-handed batter (Yoshida Kengo) left on the bench.

That's not all. There is another astonishing reason. The usual role of Yazawa Kota (24), who was selected as a pinch hitter. He is primarily a pinch runner. It's said that his batting is not very effective.

It was no different that day. He had been stretching his legs on the bench all along. He hadn't even touched a bat, let alone practice swings. With the sudden order, he hurriedly picked a bat and stumbled into the batter's box.

However, this unexpected casting becomes a huge success. Yazawa's hit ignites Escon Field. The poorly struck ball falls in front of the center fielder. It's a timely hit after two outs. Both runners comfortably touched home plate. The score, 1-3, instantly changes to 3-3.

That's not all. Yazawa, who reached 1st base, fulfills his original role as well. He successfully steals 2nd base. Then, he touches home plate on Gunji Yuya's timely hit. A dramatic come-from-behind victory is completed after two outs in the 9th inning.

After the game, questions flood in for manager Shinjo. "Why? What were you thinking? Why did you use that pinch hitter?" is the curiosity.

"Well, as you know, Yazawa was only preparing to run (as a pinch runner). He didn't have a bat on him, not even a millimeter. But strangely, I wanted to use him. To be honest, I find it hard to explain. It just felt like some kind of inspiration struck me strongly in the mind."

Manager Shinjo describes this as "kanpyuta" (勘ピュタ). In Japanese, it's a term that sounds similar to "computer." It's a compound of "kan" (勘, meaning intuition) + "computer." Therefore, it signifies a choice or decision based on intuition.

The person who was called as a pinch hitter is just as surprised.

"I was just waiting for the opportunity to go out as a pinch runner. But unexpectedly, I was called as a pinch hitter. I did my best to repay that trust. I concentrated 100%. And because there was strong will in the hit, I think that's why it became a hit that fell in front of the center fielder." (Yazawa Kota, post-game hero interview)

Yazawa Kota (173cm, 71kg) is in his 3rd year as a professional. He joined the league as the 1st pick in the 2022 draft and plays as both a pitcher and outfielder. He is another aspiring dual-player with Nippon-Ham, following Shohei Ohtani.

He has yet to achieve significant results on either side. On the mound, he has made 19 appearances only in the bullpen. His record is 1 win, 2 losses, and 3 holds, with an earned run average of 3.52. His maximum speed is in the mid-150 km range.

As a batter, he has participated in 85 games over the last 3 years. His career batting average is 0.186. He has running skills, completing 50 meters in 5.8 seconds. Thanks to that, he is highly utilized as a pinch runner. This year, he focuses solely on batting.

Meanwhile, the Nippon-Ham Fighters are leading the Pacific League with a record of 28 wins, 20 losses, and 2 ties, achieving a winning percentage of 0.583 with this victory.

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