The words and actions of a famous general who changed the life of baseball (3)
Masahiro Yamamoto talks about Senichi Hoshino Part 1
(Second person: Hiromichi Ishige, who was told by Tatsuro Hirooka that he didn’t have to participate in the practice >>)
Encounters with leaders can make a big difference in an athlete’s competitive life. Former Chunichi Yamamoto Masahiro, who marked 32 years of professional life and 29 years of actual work, the longest in history, and achieved 200 wins in total at the age of 42, the oldest in history, met Senichi Hoshino and Iku Ikuhara in the United States. Was a turning point in baseball life.
Yamamoto, who left many brilliant records such as the Sawamura Award, the most wins three times, and the oldest no-hitter no-run in history, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 14, this year, has an episode with two people and charm as a boss. I heard.
Director Hoshino congratulates Masahiro Yamamoto (right), who won the first professional shutout in September 1988.
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――How did you first get to know Mr. Hoshino?
Masahiro Yamamoto (hereinafter: Yamamoto)My father has been a fan of Chunichi since I was in elementary, middle and high school, so I’ve always heard Mr. Hoshino’s name. About three years after I joined Chunichi, it was decided that Mr. Hoshino would return as a director on Chunichi. The seniors of the team said, “Because a difficult person will come back, you should be solid,” and I saw Mr. Hoshino saying “Be prepared” at the director’s inauguration interview. I was wondering, “What kind of person is it actually?”
――Do you remember the first words you gave to Mr. Hoshino?
YamamotoI remember talking a little at that time when I was invited to the 1st Army Autumn Camp (Hamamatsu) right after I took office, even though I had no track record in the 1st Army. Even though I talked, I was young and I could only say “yes” or “no”.
At that time, I was told by a bullpen, “Hey No. 34, try throwing with all your might”, but before that I was throwing with all my might (laughs). So when I answered, “I’m doing my best,” Mr. Hoshino was disappointed.
–In the second year of Mr. Hoshino’s inauguration, Chunichi had a spring camp in Vero Beach, Florida, the same as the Los Angeles Dodgers. It seems that while teammates returned to Japan after the camp, several young players, including Mr. Yamamoto, were left in the United States.
YamamotoIt’s my fifth year as a professional. I was aiming for the opening 1st army, and I was shocked because I had been doing my best since spring thinking, “If it doesn’t work this year, I’ll be sick. It’s my last chance.” I was KO’d in a game during the camp and was told “Stay in America until November” that evening, but I was wondering “Why am I …”.
Nowadays, the relationship with American baseball is deepening, but at that time there was almost no interaction, and foreign players who helped came to Japan. I don’t speak English and it was the last time in my fifth year, so I remember being quite disappointed.
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