On the 7th, a mini baseball class and talk show was held at Konnyaku Park in Kanra Town, Gunma Prefecture, inviting Saitama Seibu Lions players Shota Hiranuma, Sena Tsuge, Reion Murata, pitcher Haruki Sugiyama, and Daito Saito.
(From left) Saitama Seibu Lions players Sena Tsuge, Shota Hiranuma, Reion Murata, pitcher Haruki Sugiyama, and Daisho Saito.
At the talk show event, Hideyuki Nakayama, who serves as MC and “Gunma Ambassador” and “Konnyaku Ambassador” who promotes Konnyaku Park, will participate. He excited the large audience with his lighthearted talk.
Hideyuki Nakayama served as MC
When asked about how he spends his off-season, Murata said, “I started playing golf during last year’s off-season,” and shared his personal theory, “If I go golfing when my batting isn’t good, my batting sometimes gets better.” On the other hand, Saito said, “Now that I’m 18 years old, I’m attending a driving school,” referring to the fact that he couldn’t get a driver’s license when he was in high school.“If things go well, I’ll probably get it in January.”
Talk show situation
Regarding his impression of manager Fumiya Nishiguchi, Tsuge said, “He’s easy to talk to about anything,” but he smiled bitterly when he pointed out some small points, such as “Show your mitt to the pitcher more.” Hiranuma said with a laugh, “I’m always teased by the coach.” On the other hand, pitcher Sugiyama said, “I’m a former pitcher, so he teaches me technical things. But there’s still a distance, so I want to try to get closer to him.” He said that he still feels a distance in communication with the manager.
Murata sets his goals for next year
Regarding his goals for next year, Saito expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “To be a force. I want to do my best with the goal of being the first team in the opening season.” Pitcher Sugiyama said, “My first win. I want the fans to see my first win as soon as possible.” Murata also said, “Double-digit home runs. It’s my third year, so I want to get results. If I hit it, I’ll fly, so I want to increase my chances.” Hiranuma said, “I’m just going to hit it.Personally, it was a frustrating season.The challenges have become clear, so I want to overcome them and keep hitting.”When asked about his batting average, he said, “I want to hit .28.” Tsuge said, “We’ll win as many games as possible. We’ll win as a team,” and “I hope we can hold a parade at Konnyaku Park.” He received a huge round of applause.
Tsuge (center) defeated last year’s winner Hideyuki Nakayama
In the final mini konjac jelly bagging competition, I thought it would be Hideyuki Nakayama who won last year, but Tsuge won by just one piece. Although they received the prizes, they held a surprise rock-paper-scissors tournament and gave presents to the audience members who won the rock-paper-scissors tournament.
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