The case of Kazuyuki Shirai, a ball umpire who rushed to Sasaki at the pitching of Roki Sasaki at the Kyocera Dome on April 24, is still under discussion. The impression is that it has become “important” not only for baseball players but also for the entertainment world.
I watched the game on the spot. It was the bottom of the second inning, but I think few fans noticed what happened there. I was even distracted by the stolen base of Orix’s Yutaro Sugimoto just before. I saw the ball umpire walking near the mound, but the stadium, which was almost full, was not noisy.
In the Showa era, the tone was that the referee was not good.
However, a few minutes later, the voice began to rise on SNS, and 30 minutes later, the news was that “Shirai ball umpire was rushing in” in an online article. At that time, many people were already thinking that it was “Taisei Ota’s performance” and that “Why do you do this in this important game?”
“Will the referee beating again?”
I felt like this.
In professional baseball in the Showa era, it was not uncommon for managers and players to make complaints about the referee’s decision. There was even violence, but many fans argued that the referee was not good.
I still remember the assault on the referee by two Hanshin coaches at Yokohama Stadium on August 31, 1982. Two coaches, Ikuo Shimano and Takeshi Shibata, violently attacked the third baseman Wataru Washiya over the foul and fair decisions.
As expected, director Motoo Andoh apologized at this time. Ryuji Suzuki, chairman of the Central League, has imposed “indefinite suspension” on the two coaches. Many people supported this disposition, but on the other hand, there was an argument that “this is because the quality of the referee is poor.”
It happened that after this match, there was a match in which the hit ball hit the base judge and the direction changed, resulting in a hit. At this time, the rule that “the referee is the same as a stone, so even if the ball hits, the play will continue as it is” was introduced. After this, in Kansai, the story “If the referee is the same as the stone, why is the Hanshin coach who hit the stone unscrupulous?” Was disseminated with half a joke.
What is the 1997 case that changed the flow of “judgment disrespect”?
The referees for professional baseball (professional baseball) were big baseball players such as Yutaka Ikeda, Kenichi Izutsu, Nobuaki Nidegawa, Saburo Yokozawa, and Hidenosuke Shima from the early days to some time after the war. There were many former players who had a track record in college and professionals, and there were more seniors than the managers of each team, so there was little insult or teasing of the referee.
However, after the war, former professional players who had no track record in the active era began to turn to referees, and I feel that the tendency to look down on referees has gradually increased.
“Seniority system” and “performance principle” are deeply rooted in the baseball world.
