Shocking news every day! ERA 0.17 Iron-wall bullpen collapsed during base cover of Blue and White battle and 'reported in a wheelchair' → WBC Oh My

*This content was translated by AI.

Ishii Taichi (29), a "iron wall bullpen" for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese professional baseball (NPB), collapsed due to an unexpected injury during camp. The sad news was also delivered to the Japanese national team ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March.

According to Japan's Daily Sports and Sponichi Annex, Ishii took the mound as the third pitcher in a joint first- and second-tier self-blue-and-white match at Kinosa Stadium in Okinawa on the 11th.

Ishii's injury occurred three times. Ishii, who received a right-handed hit from the opponent's batter Maegawa with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, sprinted to cover the base behind the home plate. However, in the process, he collapsed on the ground with severe pain in his left leg.

Ishii was in so much pain that he couldn't get up on his own, and eventually got out of the ground on a stretcher by the on-site medical staff. Immediately after the steel plate, he was seen leaving the ballpark in a wheelchair with a thick bandage on his left calf, suggesting the seriousness of the injury.

Ishii was the NPB's best bullpen pitcher in the 2025 season. He even joined the national team with a cartoon-like performance of 0.17 with nine saves and 36 holds with one win and no loss in 53 regular league games. The Japanese archipelago seems to be nervous because it is a pitcher resource that was expected to play as Japan's must-win team in the WBC during the best relief pitcher period, which set a record of 50 consecutive games.

Ishii is currently facing a thorough examination, according to Japanese media. It is said that the possibility of muscle rupture cannot be ruled out. It is said that the Hanshin team's atmosphere was frozen due to injuries in the first real game during the spring camp.

The problem is that it is not the first time that the Japanese national team has been injured as a bullpen pitcher. Earlier on the 9th, Tyra Kaima (26), a key bullpen pitcher for the Seibu Lions, also dropped out of the WBC due to a left calf injury. Following Tyra, who made 31 saves in the 2025 season with Japan's best ball power, Ishii, the "NPB's top bullpen pitcher," is on the verge of leaving, forcing a setback in Japanese national team coach Hirokazu Ibata's plan.

The Japanese national team selected right-hander Shoma Fujihira (28) of the Rakuten Golden Eagles as Tyra's replacement on the afternoon of the 11th. Fujihara is a player who played a must-win role for Rakuten with a record of 2 wins, 2 losses, 12 saves, 21 holds, and an ERA of 2.11, in 62 regular league games in the 2025 season. In the warm-up match against South Korea held on November 15 last year, he pitched in relief and recorded one hit, one strikeout and one run (non-earned) in one inning.

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*This content was translated by AI.