Behind the scenes of both Bunbu and Budo 9th
Yasuki Matsuoka (University of Tokyo Baseball Club) Part 1
Catcher Yasuki Matsuoka who leads the team as captain in the baseball club of the University of Tokyo
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On April 9, 2022, the spring league of Tokyo Big6 Baseball League began in the unseasonable heat. In front of the bench on the 3rd base side of the University of Tokyo, I saw the number 10 in the center of the circle in the opening round. It was the back of catcher Yasuki Matsuoka (4th year, Faculty of Education, Tokyo City University Attached High School), who is the captain of the University of Tokyo baseball club, which has been in business for over 100 years. His gaze was sharp through his sunglasses, pointing towards his teammates.
Last year, the University of Tokyo stopped losing streak at 64 and won one star in both spring and autumn. It was catcher Matsuoka who hit the first timely hit in the game against Hosei University, which stopped the losing streak.
The University of Tokyo has a strong desire to fight this year.
The opponent of the opening game is Keio University, which won the spring / autumn league match last year. The first player, the University of Tokyo, took the lead in the game until the middle of the game, scoring 2 points in the first round and 1 point in the second inning, taking advantage of Keio’s defensive gap due to the hardness of the first match. Although he was caught up in the bottom of the 5th inning, pitcher Shunsuke Izawa (4th year, Sapporo Minami High School), who had been a good pitcher, fascinated him with a bat in the 4th inning. He shot a home run for the first time in two years at the University of Tokyo on the left stand and took the lead again.
However, Izawa, who suffered from ball control and had a large number of balls, dropped out in the bottom of the 6th inning when he allowed the first runner. The pitchers who took over the mound were tenacious, and with the good defense of the fielders including the two thefts of catcher Matsuoka, the match advanced to the top of the seventh inning with the lead of the University of Tokyo.
“Hey, what if I win like this?” The University of Tokyo cheering seat on the 3rd base side was screaming every time it was well defended.
However, behind the scenes, the goodwill and tenacity that had been maintained up to that point collapsed as if making a noise. The anxiety that the stand had begun to embrace could not have been transmitted to the ground, but the runners gathered due to the walks and the defensive disorder, and it was reversed by a home run.
Keio’s counterattack was long. However, it was also a momentary event in which the whereabouts of the game were decided.
The University of Tokyo finished 10 games in the spring league and lost 8 and 2 minutes. Is it possible to win in the remaining two games?
How do you win against a team that has experienced Koshien players and strong players from professional baseball to drafting? How will the University of Tokyo fight for six university baseball this year? We asked Captain Matsuoka of the University of Tokyo Baseball Club, a group that goes further ahead of both Bunbu and Budo.
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Baseball team members from prestigious colleges
— When it comes to playing baseball at Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, which has produced many professional baseball players, I think you have the appropriate ability. However, the University of Tokyo does not have baseball recommendations or players from affiliated schools. It’s hard to tell what kind of players the team is made up of. What kind of players are there in the University of Tokyo baseball club?
Yasuki Matsuoka (Matsuoka) The baseball club has about 120 members, 30 in each grade. Most of my high schools are in the suburbs of Tokyo, but there are also many players who have played baseball at advanced schools all over the country.
Some members of the current team are from Shizuoka High School and from Tochiku High School (Fukuoka Prefecture) who are stepping on the soil of Koshien. However, after all, there are many players who are so-called advanced schools in Tokyo, Kaisei High School, and Tsukuba University High School.
–Are there any players from Kaisei High School or Tsukuba University High School who will become regulars at the six universities?
MatsuokaYes. For example, at Kaisei High School, the practice of the baseball club is limited to one day a week, and when I was in high school, I didn’t live a life centered on baseball. However, depending on the year, I have won the city tournament a couple of times. In my grade, there is a player who is Yuu Miyazaki, but he is a player who was said to be “a talent once in 1000 years” even at Kaisei, and of course he is now active as a regular player.
–Are the players who have gained experience in Koshien at Shizuoka High School and Tochiku High School, whose school names were mentioned earlier, are starting members?
MatsuokaI agree. After all, the players who are in the starting lineup have stepped on a certain number of places. It’s a way of saying it from above, but everyone is good at it. Even if I go to another university, I think I can get regular.
