“Among us, it was Roki who wanted to go to Koshien more than anyone else. The feeling for Koshien is stronger than anyone, and it is overwhelming. Let’s be guided by that passion. , We also desperately devoted ourselves to baseball. “
Muneyuki Chiba, a second-year student at JF Oberlin University, says this. Three years ago in the summer, he was the captain of the Ofunato High School Baseball Club, who had Roki Sasaki in the final of the Iwate Prefectural Tournament.
This season, his third year as a professional player, Roki Sasaki made his name by making a perfect game for the first time in 28 years, and an unprecedented perfect game of eight perfect games a week later. However, in high school, there were restrictions on coverage, so the real image is not well known.
When I ask my high school teammates who pursued Koshien’s dreams together, the real appearance of the “Reiwa monster” emerges.
“I’m the captain, but it’s actually Roki.”
Chiba, who is in sync with Sasaki, says, following the opening words.
“I’m the captain, but it’s actually like Roki. I’m more conscious of baseball than anyone else, and I’ll do 100% of what I can do. I’ve never seen him skip.”
When he was in the 1st and 2nd grade, Sasaki always went to the gym with a pitcher when he became a voluntary trainer and worked hard on core training. He takes one minute each for plank and side plank, silently every day.
While devoting himself to conditioning and building his body, Sasaki also remembered to keep an eye on the entire team.
This is related to Yohei Kokubo’s theory that “players play on the ground. If so, the players’ thinking and judgment is the closest way to victory.”
Along with Sasaki, Chiba, who played the role of coordinating the team, continues.
“Because of the director’s policy, the members often decided on the practice menu, but there are times when each player wants to do something different. At that time, Roki listens to individual opinions and the members are stressed. He explained in a soft tone so that he wouldn’t accumulate it. He wouldn’t get sick, and he wouldn’t get angry with his emotions. He was always logical and caring about others. I’m here. “
“Roki was amazing even for those who hit.”
The practice ends at 9 pm, and we ride a bicycle back on the pitch-black night road. Even at that time, Chiba and Sasaki were talking about baseball and the team.
