The final of the National High School Baseball Championship was held on the 23rd at Koshien Stadium, where Kanto Daiichi (East Tokyo) lost to Kyoto International (Kyoto) 1-2, narrowly missing their first championship title. This marks the first time a team from Kyoto has won the summer Koshien since Heian (now Ryukoku University Heian) in 1956, 68 years ago.
Kanto Daiichi’s Hatanaka, who started the game against Kyoto International at Koshien Stadium
From the beginning, the control of both left-handed pitchers, Hatanaka Teshin (Kanto Daiichi) and Nakazaki Ruki (Kyoto International), was sharp, leading to a pitching duel. Hatanaka faced a pinch in the sixth inning with one out and runners on second and third, escaping with a fly out and a strikeout before switching to pitcher Sakai Ryo. Sakai also held off a two-out, runner on third situation in the ninth inning with a ground ball, and the game went into extra innings at 0-0.
Kyoto International’s Takagishi’s grounder was superbly caught by shortstop Ichikawa, throwing to first base in the second inning
In the 10th inning tie-breaker, Kanto Daiichi fell behind by two runs but managed to score one run off Nishimura Kazuki (Kyoto International), who came in to pitch from the 10th inning, but ultimately ran out of steam.
The last time there was an extra inning in the final was in the 2006 summer match between Komadai Tomakomai (South Hokkaido) and Waseda Jitsugyo (West Tokyo), which went 15 innings; this is the first tie-breaker in a final match.
◆ Gaining strength to return to the finals
Kanto Daiichi’s head coach, Takamitsu Yonezawa said, “I’m really disappointed. Just one more step, that step is still not enough. Even without standout players, we proved that we can compete on this grand stage. We did our best, but we couldn’t surpass Kyoto International’s defense, battery, and strong mindset. I believe we lost as we should have. The lives of our third-year students will continue, so I hope they turn this into a valuable experience. I want them to gain strength and return to the realm of the finals again.”
Kyoto International’s head coach, Kenta Komaki said, “I kept saying that our mental strength absolutely should not lose, and everyone attacked with their hearts. I think this is truly an amazing result. I had said I wanted to play baseball with these kids for as long as possible, but I never expected it to go this far… I have to thank the kids for giving this old man such a wonderful summer vacation.”
Sakai, who pitched as the second reliever for Kanto Daiichi against Kyoto International
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◆ Governor Koike also watched the game at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: “Let’s applaud one more time”
Governor Yuriko Koike cheers together with children at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, photo by Aki Okuno
Governor Yuriko Koike, who watched the game at the public viewing in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, said to the children who continued to cheer, “Everyone’s support helped your older brothers perform so well. Let’s give another round of applause for the wonderful play of Kanto Daiichi High School.”
Genki Yokota (11), who watched the game with the Edogawa Ward baseball team “Sensuida Green Stars,” said, “The result is disappointing, but it was fun to come to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for the first time and cheer together. I thought Kanto Daiichi’s shortstop played accurately and well. I hope to play at Koshien in the future.”