Yakult Swallows pitcher Masanori Ishikawa (44) will attempt to become the oldest player in Japanese baseball.

Ishikawa will take the mound against the Junichi Dragons on Saturday at the Banterin Dome in Nagoya, Japan.

It will be his first start of the season. He was set to start against the Hiroshima Carp on April 4, but was pushed out of the starting lineup when the previous three games were rained out.

Ishikawa was scheduled to start against the Eastern League (2nd team) on the 9th, but the game was also canceled due to rain. The next day, on the 10th, 카지노사이트 he started against Rakuten in the Eastern League and pitched two innings of one-hit ball, striking out one and walking none.

Rain has disrupted his schedule twice, but the game on Saturday will be held in a dome, so he won’t have to worry about a rainout.

Ishikawa joined the Yakult in 2002 and has been playing for 23 years. After going 12-9 in his first year, Ishikawa posted double-digit wins nine times in the next 10 years. In 13 appearances last year, he went 2-5 with a 3.98 ERA. In his professional career, Ishikawa has a 3.88 ERA in 533 games with 185 wins, 185 losses and four shutouts.

Ishikawa has won 22 consecutive games from his rookie year to last year, the second-longest winning streak in history, behind only Tetsuya Yoneda (1956-77).

If Ishikawa wins on Saturday against Chunichi, he will extend his streak to 23 consecutive years, an NPB record.

Prior to his first start of the season, Ishikawa said, “The first game is special. If I had to say which win I’m most happy about, I’d say the one in front of me is the most important, so I’m determined to get the win.”

Junichi leads the league with eight wins, two draws and four losses. After finishing at the bottom of the table for the last two years in a row, 이저 토토사이트 they will have their work cut out for them this season. Jakart is in fifth place with 5 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses.