The noise was at deafening levels at Koshien Stadium during the late stages of Game 3 in this Japan Series.
There were 40,994 in the stands at the historic venue, and the vast majority were wearing yellow and black and cheering on the Hanshin Tigers. The fans erupted when the Tigers, who trailed, rallied for three runs in the seventh. The intensity ramped up again in the eighth, with Hanshin searching for a game-tying run with a man in scoring position and its hottest hitter at the plate.
None of it fazed Orix Buffaloes reliever Yuki Udagawa.
He stopped the Hanshin rally in the seventh — with an assist from third baseman Yuma Mune — and shut the door again in the eighth as fervent cheering morphed into a chorus of dejected groans.
Instead of being rattled, Udagawa fed off the electric energy pulsating throughout the stadium as he protected a one-run lead in a 5-4 win on Tuesday night.
"I thought it was really exciting," Udagawa said about the atmosphere. "I felt like it was fun because it got my adrenaline going."
The 24-year-old right-hander has performed like he has ice water in his veins during the postseason and is one of Buffaloes manager Satoshi Nakajima’s main weapons out of the bullpen.
He entered Game 3 with two outs in the seventh and a runner on first, and with the Tigers riding a wave of momentum after cutting a four-run deficit to one.
“The runner was on first, so I was only worried about giving up an extra-base hit or a home run,” Udagawa said.
He threw a fastball to Hanshin cleanup hitter Yusuke Oyama, who hit a rocket to third that Mune made a sliding stop to field before throwing to first to end the threat.
“He hit it well, so I thought I was in trouble,” Udagawa said. “I was relieved when Mune caught it.”
Udagawa retired Teruaki Sato to start the eighth before giving up a single to Sheldon Neuse. He recorded the second out when the Tigers used a sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Kairi Shimada to second. That set up a showdown with Seiya Kinami, who was 3-for-3 in the game and 10-for-20 in the postseason at that point, with the tying run on second.
Udagawa was ahead 1-2 in the count when he got Kinami to swing over a forkball in the dirt for the third out.
“Neuse got a hit (on a forkball), so I did not want to make the same mistake,” Udagawa said. “The previous ball I threw (a 1-2 forkball Kinami hit foul) was in a good spot, but it was a little high. So I tried to throw it lower.”
Buffaloes veteran Yoshihisa Hirano closed out the win in the ninth. Mune, in addition to his fielding, drove in a pair of runs to help Orix take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Game 3 was the first close contest after the Buffaloes and Tigers traded 8-0 wins in the first two games. Udagawa also pitched in Game 2, but in a much different situation, with the Buffaloes ahead 4-0 at home.
Udagawa has experienced a rapid ascent since being taken with the Buffaloes’ third pick in the developmental draft in 2020. He remained on a developmental contract until Orix gave him a regular deal and called him up to the top team in the middle of the 2022 season.
Udagawa had a breakout performance in that postseason, making two appearances during the Climax Series and four in the Japan Series — which Orix won — over 8⅔ scoreless innings.
He was then named to the Samurai Japan team for this spring’s World Baseball Classic. The reliever was thrust into the spotlight after his quiet nature — and pitcher Yu Darvish’s attempts to pull him out of his shell — endeared him to fans.
After making just 19 regular-season appearances in 2022, Udagawa allowed nine runs in 45⅔ innings and finished with a 10.25 strikeout rate in 46 games in 2023.
It has been business as usual for him so far this postseason, with 4⅓ scoreless frames in the Climax Series and Japan Series.
Udagawa, who also possesses a great fastball to go with his forkball, is a weapon out of the Orix bullpen alongside hard-throwing Soichiro Yamazaki and could still play a major role during the remainder of this Japan Series.
“I have been able to use my experience from last year to prepare myself mentally and physically, and I think that has shown up in my pitching,” he said.
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