Shoki Murakami’s 35th pitch in Game 1 of the Japan Series had the crowd buzzing.
Not because of how fast it was — quite the opposite, actually.
The Hanshin Tigers starter did not bring the heat against Taisei Makihara, the Pacific League batting champion. He threw a big, looping eephus pitch that was more ice age than heat wave. It clocked 59 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour) on the radar gun. It was so slow it looked as if he made Makihara glitch at the plate, as he started his swing motion before stopping and simply watching the ball float by.
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