Hirobumi Watarai is the head coach of the Yakult Baseball Academy, which opened in April.
There is a “family” that became a hot topic among Yakult and amateur baseball fans last year. Former Yakult infielder Hirobumi Watarai’s eldest son, Motoki Uchinote (currently JP Asset Securities Baseball Club) is the first in the university division of the Meiji Jingu Convention at Chuo Gakuin University (Chiba). I won the championship. His younger brother Ryuki infielder, who belongs to the adult baseball ENEOS, marked a home run in the debut game of the Intercity Baseball Tournament that was held immediately after that. Brothers and fathers who play at a high level in each category had something in common with their peers.
His older brother, Motoki Infielder, is now 22 years old and will move to baseball for adults from this year. He has been a member of the JP Asset Securities Baseball Club since this year after working at Funabashi Boys (Chiba), Chiba’s prestigious Takudai Koryo, and Chuo Gakuin University. Takateru infielder, three years younger, joined ENEOS last year from Sakura Senior (Chiba) through the powerhouse of Kanagawa, Yokohama High School, and continues to play baseball.
His father, Mr. Tokai, was a supporting player with an impressive gentle expression. The vestiges still remain. He is the director of the NPB tournament “Tokyo Yakult Swallows Jr.” for elementary school students and the head coach of the “Baseball Academy” starting this spring. He illuminates the future of children brightly and gently.
It is said that he had taken two people who were still small to the Jingu Stadium and the clubhouse when he was active.
“Please let them stand at the entrance when they were still in kindergarten or elementary school, and say hello to everyone behind the scenes, not just the players. At that time, it was okay to go to the clubhouse, so there are so many players. , I used to have the staff play a lot. “
It was a “daily routine” to greet everyone cheerfully. Many Yakult staff still remember the scene well.
“Because my younger child was a mess, I might have thrown a stuffed animal or something toward the main pitcher before the game. Previously, when ENEOS and Yakult played a practice game, Gori (currently Hirotoshi Ishii 1) The military pitcher coach) asked, “Hey, Takateru! Do you remember throwing the stuffed animal of Goma-chan (a cartoon / Shonen Ashibe character)?” Lol)”
The two sons looked at his father’s back and started playing baseball. I went out to practice as much as I could. I didn’t have much time during the season. Still, her wife was working hard to back up her two sons as training partners.
“Practicing swings and hitting tees … Even if both of us weren’t there, we were practicing steadily. That’s the shortest way to be the best, and I think they thought so too.”
