Abe Earns Praise from Opponent After 7-Inning Gem: "I Can Throw 150 Pitches"

(CNA, by reporter Su Shih-Tung, Taipei, 21st) After a strong 7-inning, 1-run performance last night to secure his second straight win, Fubon Guardians' Japanese pitcher Yudai Abe believes that if the coach needs it, he'd have no problem throwing 150 pitches. The opposing Uni-Lions' manager, Lin Yueh-ping, praised him as having the quality of a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.

Yudai Abe, after graduating from high school in Japan, joined the corporate league team ENEOS and once helped the team win a championship. However, this year he came to Taiwan, signing a developmental contract with the Fubon Guardians. In his two appearances since being called up to the first team, both have been quality starts, with only 1 run allowed in a total of 13.1 innings.

Guardians' manager Mitsutaka Goto pointed out that Abe played for a famous corporate team in Japan with a good environment, and choosing to come to Taiwan required great courage. "Playing overseas is inherently tough."

Compared to his debut where he threw 113 pitches in 6.1 innings, Abe threw only 85 pitches to get through 7 innings yesterday, helping the team win 9-2. He believes the timing of his removal is decided by the coaching staff, and his job is to complete his task. "I don't know if a crisis would have occurred if I kept pitching. As long as it's the coach's instruction, I can throw 100 or 150 pitches."

Abe also mentioned that he issued 4 walks in his first game, which was too many, but had no walks yesterday, successfully improving his control. However, he has no preconceived notions when facing Taiwanese batters, "I just focus on facing them one by one."

Yesterday, the Uni-President 7-ELEVEn Lions only managed 2 hits off him. Lin Yueh-ping believes that Abe has speed, control, and is a left-hander, which allows him to survive in Taiwan and even perform at the level of a No. 3 or No. 4 foreign pitcher. He also noted that the Fubon Guardians' familiar connections in the Japanese baseball world likely enabled them to find such a talented player.