The Hanshin Tigers of Japanese professional baseball won the Central League title for the first time in 18 years.
On the night of the 14th, when he defeated his rival Yomiuri Giants 4-3 to confirm the championship, Koshien Stadium in his home turf was like a furnace. At the moment of joy, a uniform with the uniform number 24 was caught flying among the players enjoying joy. Former Hanshin player Shintaro Yokota, who died of brain cancer at the age of 28 in July, wore it when he was active.안전놀이터
According to local media such as the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 15th, Fumihito Haraguchi, who overcame colon cancer as he approached the championship, suggested that he wanted to wear Yokota’s uniform, and his colleagues supported him and brought him to Koshien, his home stadium.
Masayuki (60), a former professional baseball player who watched on TV at his home in Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, said, “My son met his colleagues and fans and was able to live a good baseball life.”
Social media capture.
Yokota, a former Kagoshima business high school graduate, was selected by Hanshin as the second overall pick in the 2014 draft. He was expected to be a large outfielder with long-hitting power and strong shoulders. He has been a key player in the first division since the opening game in 2016. But the ordeal soon came. The following year, he showed symptoms of unknown headaches and blurred vision at the spring camp. The examination revealed that it was a brain tumor. He received anticancer drugs and surgical treatment, but his poor eyesight did not return, so he announced his retirement in 2019.
Last game played in the second division after announcing his decision to retire. Yokota maintained his center field position with the ball barely visible due to poor eyesight. After catching a hit with two outs and runners on second base, he threw the ball home with no bound to catch the runner on second base. The play is called a ‘miracle back home’ in Japan. It was produced and aired as a TV drama last year.
According to his father, former player Yokota was hospitalized in the summer of 2020 after his cancer spread to his spine. While continuing to exchange and lecture with critically ill patients, Hanshin’s performance and fans’ support were used as support for his heart.
On this day, Hanshin players played with their former teammates in their hearts. Iwasada took the mound in the ninth inning with the background music of “Bridge of Glory,” which was ringing when his motivation for joining the team was at bat. The fans sang in chorus.
After closer Suguru Iwasaki put out the last batter, the entire team flocked to the mound and jumped to celebrate the championship with Yokota’s uniform. Iwasaki held the deceased’s uniform tightly in his hand when he flew into the air three times after being tossed by his teammates.
Social media capture.
The father, who watched the moment of joy instead of his son, said, “I didn’t know the players would do this much. “My son will be happy with everyone in Koshien,” he said.
His mother Manami said, “I’m sure Shintaro was in Koshien this evening. When I saw the uniform No. 24 dancing in the air, I was under the illusion that Shintaro in the uniform was dancing,” he said, expressing his gratitude for his son’s colleagues’ consideration.