Yuki Hayashi (Omi → Seino Transportation), who was nominated in 6th place by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at the 2022 draft meeting. Despite suffering from injuries, his left arm, which has been gaining strength on the stage of adult baseball, advances to the professional stage where his classmates are waiting.
On the field of Omi High School in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, where Koyuki flickered, he introduced a player who was coach Akihito Taga.
“That kid is Hayashi. He’s still in the first grade, but he throws a good ball.”
Yuki Hayashi, who was 16 years old at the time, smiled a little embarrassed at this introduction, and still had an innocent look on his face. His left arm, which was so delicate that the pure white practice clothes that wrapped him around looked slightly larger, would change the history of Omi High School.
Koshien in the summer of my sophomore year remains in my memory. In the 3rd round, he pitched 11 strikeouts in the 8th inning, completely suppressing the smasher Tokoha Daikikukawa in the 5th inning. In the quarterfinals, he pitched against Kisei Yoshida (now Nippon-Ham) from the 5th inning, but in the bottom of the 9th inning with a 1-point lead, he suffered a goodbye loss in a 2-run quiz. The image of Hayashi standing stunned on the mound at the dramatic ending was played many times after the tournament as a symbolic act of the tournament.
The U-18 World Cup with Aki, Okugawa and Miyagi
After Koshien in the summer of the 3rd year, he was selected to the U-18 Japan national team along with such prominent faces as Aki Sasaki (Ofunato → Lotte), Yasunobu Okugawa (Seiryo → Yakult) and Daiya Miyagi (Konan → Orix). Expectations were high that he would play well in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup with the star candidates, but Hayashi suffered a setback in the host country, South Korea.
In the first round against the United States, he was entrusted with the starting mound, but when he allowed the lead batter to hit a double that fell in front of the left wing, he lost his rhythm and gave 3 walks and dropped out in just one inning. In the Super Round match against Korea, he pitched as the 5th pitcher, but he mishandled the ball and caused a come-from-behind loss, and the team finished 5th.
“There’s no way I can pass on a stage like this.”
I still keep in touch with Sasaki, who carried a basket full of tools with me, but I was overwhelmed by the members of the “super high school level” with 11 players who became professionals until the end.
