Atsushi Mochizuki

Atsushi Mochizuki (望月 惇志, Mochizuki Atsushi, born August 2, 1997 in Yokohama, Kanagawa) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Central League.

Atsushi Mochizuki
Mochizuki with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers – No. 61
Pitcher
Born: (1997-08-02) August 2, 1997
Yokohama, Kanagawa
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
October 1, 2016, for the Hanshin Tigers
NPB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Win-Loss1-1
Earned run average4.34
Strikeout85
Teams

Early baseball career

Born in Yokohama, Atsushi started playing ball at the young age of 5, and played little league with the Higashi Serigaya Junior Phoenix. He also played various positions when he entered Serigaya Junior High. In his senior year at Yokohama Sogakugan High School, he recorded a maximum pitch velocity of 148 km/h, but his school never made it to either Spring Koshien or Summer Koshien.[1][2]

Hanshin Tigers

He was chosen as the Hanshin Tigers' 4th pick in the 2015 annual professional baseball draft.[2] He signed a 40 million yen contract with the Tigers, with an estimated 5 million yen annual salary. He was assigned the jersey number 61.[3]

2016

He spent his first season mostly in the farm and remained in the dugout until June. His first start came on June 9 against the Orix Buffaloes farm team, where he pitched 5 scoreless innings to earn the win.[4] He got 13 more starts after that, and finished the Western League season with a 5–3 record with 1 complete game, and a 3.84 ERA. He was finally given the chance to debut in the main squad in the Giants match on October 1 where he pitched a scoreless 9th inning to help secure Hanshin's shutout victory.[5] Due to overexertion however, he sustained an injury on his right elbow during post-season training which prompted the coaches to stop him from pitching for a while.[6]

2017

Despite improvement in his pitching velocity (155 km/h at that time),[7] he experienced lower back pain in April that needed long-term rehabilitation.[6] He made full recovery by August, but never got the chance to participate in any main squad games. He finished 5–3 with a 3.84 ERA in 14 starts in the farm. He again experienced lower back pain due to a herniated disc and underwent surgery in December.[8]

Playing Style

Standing at 190 cm, Mochizuki is a right-handed pitcher who can throw fastballs clocked at a maximum of 158 km/h, mixed with sliders and splitters.[9]

References
  1. "火の玉"マニアや！阪神Ｄ４・望月、球児に弟子入り志願] サンケイスポーツ". Sankei Sports. 2015-11-12.
  2. "阪神ドラ４望月、甲子園Ｖ腕中日ドラ１小笠原に勝つ". Nikkan Sports. 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  3. "阪神のドラ1・高山は背番号「9」". Daily Sports. 2015-12-07. Archived from the original on 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. "自己最速151キロ!阪神D4・望月、5回0封で初先発初勝利". Sankei Sports. 2016-10-02.
  5. "阪神ドラフト4位望月、プロ初登板153キロで巨人斬り". Nikkan Sports. 2016-10-02.
  6. "望月、今季最長の4回投げた　度重なるケガを克服". Daily Sports. 2017-09-21.
  7. "望月155キロ出た!4カ月ぶり登板で自己最速2キロ更新". Daily Sports. 2017-03-08.
  8. 望月惇志選手手術終了について Hanshin Tigers Official Website 2017-12-21
  9. "望月は４回７失点　ローテ入りアピールならず". Daily Sports. 2019-03-08.
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