彼はバットを振る前にしっかり握りしめた。

he; him; his; boyfriend

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

bat (in baseball, cricket, etc.); bat (animal); vat; tray

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

to wave; to shake; to swing; to sprinkle; to throw (dice); to cast (actor); to allocate (work); to turn down (somebody); to reject; to jilt; to dump; to abandon; to give up; to ruin; to add kana indicating a reading of a word; to slightly change headings; to change directions; to extract by broiling; to prepare an infusion of; to decoct; to carry with great vigor (e.g. a portable shrine); to bring up the main topic; to replace; to substitute; to set up a joke for somebody else

ago; before (some event); previously; (minutes) to (the hour); in front (of); before (e.g. the house); head (of a line); front (e.g. of a bus); fore part; in the presence of; helping; portion; privates; private parts

at (place, time); in; on; during; to (direction, state); toward; into; for (purpose); because of (reason); for; with; by; from; as (i.e. in the role of); per; in; for; a (e.g. "once a month"); and; in addition to; if; although

tightly (holding on); firmly; securely; strongly (built); solidly; sturdily; steadily; properly; well; sufficiently; hard (working, etc.); fully; completely; reliably; dependably; levelheadedly; shrewdly; wisely; cleverly

to grasp tightly