Interview with Yuki Kawabata, Women’s Baseball Part 1
“Yakult Shingo Kawabata talks about my sister”
Tokyo Yakult Swallows, which won the number one spot in Japan last year. One of the key players is Shingo Kawabata, who made a timely hit in the Japan Series. How did Yuki Kawabata, a younger sister and a legend in the women’s baseball world, see the success of her brother Shingo? I interviewed.
Shingo Kawabata, a pinch hitter who hits the final in the 6th round of the Japan Series
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–Yuki-san is originally a Yakult fan, isn’t he?
Yuki Kawabata (hereinafter referred to as Kawabata)After my brother joined Yakult, I started to pay attention and support him. At that time, I had a great admiration for Nori Aoki’s batting before going to the United States. So, when I entered the women’s pro, I chose the same uniform number “23” as Aoki at that time.
— At the same time as Kawabata became a female professional, Aoki changed his uniform number to “1” and became a major leaguer from 2012. Did you watch the Yakult game during this time?
Kawabata also played games, so I sometimes went to Jingu Stadium to watch the game and cheered Yakult on TV.
— My brother Shingo had a good growth curve, such as winning the top batter in 2015, but after the onset of herniated disc, he had a difficult time with surgery and rehabilitation. How was your brother during this time?
Kawabata: I had many opportunities to practice together during the year-end and New Year holidays, but when I heard about rehabilitation before and after surgery on the lower back, during hospitalization, and after surgery, the pain of injury was greater than I had imagined. I thought. I want to play an active part for the team, but I can’t move as I want. I felt it was really frustrating, painful and frustrating.
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