For the last few years, games for third-year students who cannot be on the bench have been held in various places before the final summer tournament. Families gather at the ballpark to see the last brave figure of the player who has no choice but to accept the substitute. A “sunny stage” for reserve players.
Mr. Naoki Shiomi, the founder of the General Incorporated Association Support Project, plans and manages the retirement match “Last Game”. It was 2018 when he planned the last game for the first time. This year, the 6th time, it was held between Yamanashi Gakuin, the winner of Senbatsu, and rival Japan Airlines (held in 2020, when the summer Koshien was canceled due to the corona disaster).
Yamanashi Gakuin players handing a ball with a handwritten message to their parents after finishing their retirement match See photos related to this article
[Two meanings of playing the last game]
Mr. Shiomi, who has experience participating in Koshien in the summer of 1981 as a member of Kokugakuin Kugayama (Tokyo), says.
“I have seen the inside of a team that is said to be a strong team, and I understand well the feelings of the substitute players who cannot play in the game. I’ve seen a lot of players that I hate.
Aiming for the final summer, even if he endures the hard winter training, he will be out of the bench lineup in June or July. I think the shock of facing reality is considerable. That’s why I wanted to make the substitute players feel the same way as the regulars, even if it’s just for one day before the summer tournament starts.”
“The Last Game” was held on June 27th. Yamanashi Gakuin, who took the lead from the beginning, added 2 points in the 8th inning to set the game at 4-0.
The ball used in this match had the words . After the game, the players and their parents line up in front of the benches of both schools, and the backup players pass the balls with their own handwritten messages. There were voices that could be heard around them, and there were words that only the two of them could understand.
Yamanashi Gakuin Director Koji Yoshida said this while watching the parents and children hugging each other while crying.
“The last game has two aspects. It is a time for third graders, who are on the backburner, to organize their minds in order to move on to the next step. It is the same for parents. It’s an important game.
2023-07-10 09:09:49
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