‘Home run assist while trying to catch a home run’ Absurd home run from Japanese professional baseball… “Playing for the first time in my life”

Nippon-Ham Fighters Kiyomiya Kotaro (24) hit a very rare home run. 

On the 8th, Kiyomiya started as third baseman twice in the match against the Chiba Lotte Marines held at Escon Field in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Japan, and recorded 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run in 4 at-bats. 

Kiyomiya, who entered the first at-bat with one out in the bottom of the first inning when the team gave up the first run, kicked up a low fastball of 145 km/h on the second pitch of Chiba Lotte starting pitcher Manabu Mima. The ball flew high and hit the top of the center wall.

However, Kiyomiya’s ball, which would normally have returned to the ground, chased the ball to the end and hit the glove of center fielder Kyota Fujiwara, who attempted a jump catch. Seeing that the ball hit the fence, Kiyomiya sprinted, but eventually the ball did not go over the fence and went all the way to the home with a smile. 메이저놀이터

Japanese media Full Count said, “Kiyomiya’s rare home run is a hot topic. Kayomiya’s fourth home run of the season went over the outfield fence after being hit by an outfielder’s glove. Fans also showed enthusiastic reactions, saying, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before’ and ‘It’s a confirmed play’.” 

Full Count said, “Kiyomiya’s ball hit the glove of center fielder Fujiwara, who jumped in front of the outfield fence. If he hadn’t been hit by the glove, he was likely to be a direct hit from the fence. In a way, it seemed that Kiyomiya had been helped by the beast. Kiyomiya went around the ground with a somewhat embarrassed expression and laughed with his teammates in the dugout,” he explained the situation at the time. 

On Japanese Twitter, “home run assist” has emerged as a trend. Full Count said, “Fans said, ‘It’s a home run assist’, ‘I’ve never seen a play like this’, ‘I was lucky’, ‘Even Fujiwara was regretful… Fans reacted to the amazing home run, saying, “I was surprised by various reactions such as ‘an unexpected assist’ and ‘Kiyomiya’s home run always has a beautiful trajectory’.”