After nine years with the Dragons pitching a total of 1,098 innings, left pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on Sunday.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara signed a two-year contract with the Washington Nationals, and a month later, he made his debut against the New York Mets in spring training. He was the first player signed by the Nacionians from Japan.

"I'm glad I made my debut," Shinnosuke Ogasawara said through Junpei Ohashi, an interpreter, "and everything went well." ”

In the match, which the Nationals won 11-6, Shinnosuke Ogasawara started the game and was hit with only one hit, without conceding a single point, and made eight pitches. He was nervous before the first out, but then he got better.

"He's got a good shot," said Dave Martinez, head coach of the Nationals, "and he can throw the ball into the good zone and get the hitter to swing the batter." I appreciate that. He made his debut here and reached a ball speed of 92 mph, which is pretty good. He's a little nervous, and rightfully enough, but he's shooting well. ”

The Mets' Taryn Taylor and Francisco Alvarez hit powerful flat balls into the midfield, and then former Nationals Jesse Wink hit a second base in the left field on the first shot. Shinnosuke Ogasawara then allowed Luis De Losantos to hit a boccia, and the shortstop caught the ball and passed to first base to complete the out, ending the inning.

"He's got outs, that's what he's really done," Martinez said, "and he threw a pitch ball, a change ball. He's got to use the variant ball a lot more because it's a great way to play it. But many times the hitter swings the bat on the first ball. That's what you want to see when you take the initiative to challenge a hitter and throw a good shot. ”

Ahead of his next start, Shinnosuke Ogasawara hopes to meet with the coaching staff and catchers to continue preparing for the big league hitter. He wants to induce hitters to hit more throw-ins and has been practicing his sideslide.

The Nationals have been helping Shinnosuke Ogasawara adapt to the major leagues' pitching schedule of one game every five days, a departure from Japan's six-man rotation system.

For example, before a combat strike practice during training, Shinnosuke Ogasawara threw 50 balls. On Sunday, after the game, he threw more balls in the bullshed. (Right pitcher Jake Irving also made 19 pitches in the bullpen after making an eight-pitch start on Saturday.) ）

'He's done a lot of training between starts, so we have to adjust to make sure he's ready to pitch on day five,' Martinez said, "but he's been committed and he's been doing really well so far. He is willing to change his training routine. ”

Shinnosuke Ogasawara said that when he played in Japan, he would run 10km the day after the start. He's also working with the Nationals staff to finalize a running schedule.

"I want to run more," Shinnosuke Ogasawara said, "but make sure to check your physical condition when you wake up." ”

Martinez praised Shinnosuke Ogasawara for being a "very good teammate" in just two weeks at the spring training base. His desire to win and his passion for competition are evident.

"This is my special day," Shinnosuke Ogasawara said.