Yasushi Tao The No. 1 memory in his baseball life was when he was manager of Rakuten, “There is no director who is far behind and has a toss-up” | Baseball | Nikkan Gendai Digital

Yasushi Tao (former professional baseball player and manager/69 years old)

The WBC ended with Japan winning the championship, but there must have been some baseball fans who felt that it was a pity that this person’s commentary could not be heard on TV. Yasushi Tao, who was active as a batter for Chunichi, Seibu, and Hanshin, and also served as Rakuten’s first manager. Tao, what are you doing now?

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I met Mr. Tao at “Magnet Cafe” on the first floor of “Hotel Takezono Ashiya” in Hyogo. Are you wearing cycling clothes?

“I came here after riding a bicycle (road bike) for 25 kilometers. I ride it almost every day. I usually run about 15 kilometers.”

No wonder I get sunburned so often.

“I used to enjoy jogging, but since the menisci of both my legs were worn out and hurt, I started cycling. But my biggest hobby is fishing. Before COVID-19, I went out to sea more than 70 days a year. I do a lot of fishing.I’ve caught rockfish off the coast with eight gimmicks, and red sea bream with shark fishing… I’ve caught a lot of red sea bream over 80 centimeters!I don’t buy fish at fishmongers ( smile)”

It sounds fun.

Onset of intractable cardiac amyloidosis

“Actually, in May of last year, I learned that it was an intractable disease called cardiac amyloidosis, a nationally designated intractable disease in which protein builds up in the heart and causes cardiac function to drop. My numbers were about 10 times higher than normal people, and my doctor told me that I needed a wheelchair.Luckily, a few years ago, a good drug was developed, so I took it once a day. I am able to maintain my condition just by taking tablets.

Cardiac amyloidosis was once said to have a 5-year survival rate of more than 30%. In my heart, I can’t stay calm.

“No, surprisingly, I didn’t do it. Maybe that’s because I’ve always done what I can do at the time. I’ve done enough baseball as a player and as a manager, and at home my wife, who got married at the age of 25, 3 children are now independent, and 3 grandchildren.They all live in the Kansai region and are happy to come and go often.It was a good life, I feel refreshed that I can die anytime.So now I want to show everyone that even if you have an intractable disease, if you can detect it early, you don’t have to stay at home and you can enjoy life.”

「Still I look forward(Yama to Keikokusha) in March, in which he describes his own experiences in detail. The book also looks back on his baseball career. How did professionals see the WBC, which was so exciting?

“I used to coach the Japanese national team at the World Cup, so I can imagine the pressure of carrying the Hinomaru on my back. Before the tournament even started, I thought Japan would be number one. There is also a part that depends on the performance of the day, so I don’t know what will happen.However, it ended with no better ending, and everyone worked hard.The pitching staff is thick, and the fine points of Japanese baseball, such as the good eye for choosing the ball, are shown. I survived. Ohtani-kun gave me energy in the match against Mexico.”

As a commentator, he has contracts with Nippon Broadcasting System and Sankei Sports, and is in charge of about 10 programs a month. WBC chatted on his own YouTube channel, TAO CHANNEL, which he started three years ago.

“Because TBS and TV Asahi were broadcast, commentators with connections to those two stations were in charge. I didn’t have any connection with the station.I sat on the sofa at home and watched the WBC with the scorebook on.Unusually, my wife, who doesn’t know much about baseball, watched the game all the time.”