Artist GACKT appeared at the first pitch ceremony for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters vs. Orix Buffaloes match held at ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO on August 1st. He showed off his impressive pitching form.

GACKT appeared as a special guest at “OCEAN DAY”. When the first pitch was announced, he commented, “This time, we have a connection with Ocean Co., Ltd., and I am very happy that the First Pitch Ceremony will be held at a wonderful baseball stadium called ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO. I hope everyone will come to the stadium and enjoy the game as well as my pitch”, and amid rising expectations, he appeared in an all-black outfit.

GACKT took to the mound and once in his set position, he stopped midway and performed a stunt of throwing the ball towards the batter. This caused Matsumoto Tsuyoshi, who played the batter, to chuckle wryly, and the audience applauded.

After starting over, he took his set position again and threw the ball with a powerful southpaw form, and although it went far to the outside corner, it went straight to the catcher without a bounce. GACKT showed his white teeth and left the mound with a smile.

After his first pitch, GACKT updated his own X, saying, “First pitch over. I imagined two outs, runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t a strike. It seems my practice still hadn’t caught up,” but reflected that he had fulfilled his role, saying, “However, I think I was able to accomplish my most important mission, which was to liven up the venue. It’s a relief that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

On the other hand, he also seemed to be regretful that the pitch was a ball, writing, “Next time, I’ll practice hard and give me revenge. This time, I’d like to get my revenge with the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, runners on bases loaded, and a count of 2-3,” and concluding, “Sigh, I’ve added more work to my plate…”

A video of GACKT pitching can be seen on X’s official Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters account.

Article Source: oricon.co.jp
Photo credit: nikkansports.com daily.co.jp hochi.news

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA