Kiyoshi Nakahata takes a turn in his bats saying “pinch hitter, me”… Kyuji Fujikawa takes the stage with the eagerness of his appearance.
The “Traditional Battle – Legends OB Showdown” (5 innings) was held between the Giants and Hanshin at Tokyo Dome on the 15th, and the Giants OB won 3-2. It was a huge success with 35,000 spectators watching in the stands. In the future, the demand for OB matches will increase, including from other teams, and it could become even more exciting.
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“The game played out as if it was on a stage, even on the bench, there was excitement,” said Kiyoshi Nakahata, who coached the Giants’ alumnus team, with a smile on his face. During the game, the images of the players from their active days were repeatedly shown on the video screen, and the teams sang cheers from both teams “Fighting Spirit Kotte” and “Rokko Oroshi.”
In the top of the 5th inning of the final inning, the Giants OB were ahead, but a special rule allowed the Giants OB behind them to attack as well. With two outs and no runners on, Nakahata called out, “Pinch hitter, me!” and led his turn to bat, as a nostalgic song by the Lindbergh rock band played inside. Tokyo Dome, and cheered from the stands. This is the song by Kyuji Fujikawa, the legendary guardian deity of Hanshin.
A direct confrontation that transcends time and space between Mr. Nakahata, who retired from active duty in 1989, and Mr. Fujikawa, who turned professional in 1999. With the count 2-0, Mr. Nakahata caught a ball near with the middle and gave a blow that hit Sanyuma. “I thought I was a genius after all. ball boys!”(Is that a pound?) It was fired by Mr. Nakahata.
Former Giants Ace Takashi Egawa said, “As alumni, we thought it would be really great if about 10,000 people stayed, but 35,000 people stayed. I’m in the middle among alumni At my age, I think it would be great if I could play a role in connecting the seniors and the juniors,” he said with deep emotions.
Seibu’s first OB game was attended by 27,795 people, and became a hot topic at the parent company’s general shareholders’ meeting
The Giants alumnus played against the Giants women’s team at Kusanagi Stadium in Shizuoka last November, drawing 6,300 spectators. There is a great lineup, including former coach Tatsunori Hara, who has participated in two games in a row, but there are some great players who have yet to be seen.
Nakahata said, “Actually, I wanted to invite Hideki Matsui (special adviser to the Yankees GM, who lives in the United States). to participate. He also contacted Hiromitsu Ochiai and Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who, like Matsui, had previously been the No. 1 player. 4 for the Giants. It can be said that there are still cards that fans have been waiting for for the upcoming OB games.
“The OB Seibu competition seems to be getting more exciting,” Nakahata said. In March of this year, 63 Seibu alumni gathered at Belluna Dome and were divided into two teams to play their first alumni game. It was held as a standalone OB match, unrelated to the current match against Seibu, but advance tickets sold out quickly and gathered a capacity crowd of 27,795. The participation of Mr. Kiyohara, Mr. Daisuke Matsuzaka, and others has also been “postponed.”
At a general meeting of shareholders of Seibu’s parent company, Seibu Holdings, held in June, one of the shareholders commented on Kiyohara’s non-participation in the OB game, saying, “I understand that Seibu values compliance, but the sentence suspended. The period … Now that it is over, I want you to forgive me and welcome me.”
On the 22nd of this month, “Japan-Korea Dream Players” will be held at Escon Field, a match between former baseball players from Japan and South Korea who competed in fierce battles at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) . ) and the Olympic Games, and on the 25th. Fans still pay close attention to retired players.
(Hirohisa Miyawaki)