KEIO BASEBALL YEAR──Reflecting on the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League Autumn Championship

2023/12/23

Image: The moment of victory in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League Autumn Championship (October 30, 2023)

Recently, the university baseball club secured its 40th Tokyo Big6 Baseball League championship, its first in four seasons. This was a perfect championship, earning points from every university, a feat not achieved in 11 seasons. About two months ago, the Keio Senior High School baseball team achieved the great feat of winning the Summer Koshien for the first time in 107 years, and the front page of a certain sports newspaper was decorated with the headline "Keio Year." Furthermore, the first- and second-year students also won the Big6 Fresh Tournament.

I was appointed as the Director of the Baseball Club this fiscal year, and for the first time in 27 years—since I was a player in 1996—I entered the dugout at Meiji Jingu Stadium. However, the first battle was shocking. The spring game against Hosei University was filled with the tension typical of an opening game, but we were hit with a sudden three-run homer in the first inning, held to three hits and seven strikeouts, and suffered a crushing 0-10 defeat compounded by four errors. I couldn't help but think, "This year is going to be tough." Only three players—Hirose, Miyazaki, and Sotomaru—had been regulars since last year. This year was truly a "new" team, and we lost points in two consecutive series against Meiji, dropping out of the title race early. However, the team bounced back from there, earning points in the Waseda-Keio rivalry thanks to Hirose's home run and other efforts, ultimately finishing in third place. I heard that based on this experience, they devoted themselves to a significant amount of practice over the summer.

Then came the autumn season. Watching the pre-game batting practice from behind the cage, I was surprised by the players hitting balls with a sharpness incomparable to the spring. In the opening series against Rikkyo, we got off to a good start with home runs from Miyazaki and Honma. The next series against Hosei was a literal fight to the death. We won the first game thanks to Hirose's home run and Sotomaru's excellent pitching, but lost the second game despite two home runs by Kuribayashi after giving up runs in the ninth. The third game was a 0-0 draw after 12 innings with neither side yielding an inch, and the fourth game was a back-and-forth battle where we snatched the series points through the efforts of all fielders and pitchers. This victory proved the team's strength and boosted the players' confidence. We also earned points against the University of Tokyo with hits from everyone, and finally faced the spring champions, Meiji. Just before the game, I told them behind the dugout, "We are strong. Remember everything we've done, trust your teammates and yourself, and let's fight together," but inside, my worry that "Can we really win?" was greater. Contrary to those thoughts, the lineup exploded from the first inning to score five runs, and ace Sotomaru held them almost perfectly. We lost the second game by a narrow margin, but in the third game, we overcame the opponent's ace from the first inning, and Sotomaru pitched a shutout with an even better performance than before. At that moment, I was convinced that this team was the strongest in the Big6.

Then came the final week, the 120th year of the Waseda-Keio rivalry. In the first game, tied 0-1 in the top of the ninth, we took the lead thanks to the efforts of first-year pinch hitters. However, Waseda fought back in the bottom half, and we suffered a walk-off loss. In the second game following such a dramatic match, the lineup connected from the first inning as if everything had been cleared, with the fourth-year students playing active roles. A shutout relay by first-year Takeuchi and fourth-year Tanimura brought us to a 1-1 tie. In the third game, which effectively became the championship decider, Captain Hirose hit a long-awaited two-run home run to take the lead, sending the dugout into the highest excitement of the season. Waseda repeatedly launched tenacious attacks, but we pulled away with a home run by Honma and others, securing our 200th victory against Waseda, winning the league title for the season, and reclaiming the Emperor's Cup.

Captain Hirose struggled under considerable pressure and tight marking from opposing teams, but ultimately hit home runs in crucial situations and left a career record for total home runs that ranks fourth in Big6 history (first is Yoshinobu Takahashi and third is Masaki Iwami, both from Keio). Vice-captains Ogawa and Zemba were active mainly as pinch hitters and were spiritual pillars supporting the team from behind the scenes, earning deep trust from their teammates. Fellow vice-captain Morishita also supported the pitching staff and secured the final moment of victory. Kuribayashi was truly the core of the team, brilliantly winning the Triple Crown in his final season, showing that one can become such a player even after a gap year. Miyazaki was selected for the national team and led the strongest pitching staff as a catcher. The contributions of the fourth-year students—Tanimura, who became a reliable pillar of the pitching staff; Yoshikawa, the indispensable leadoff man; Saito Rain, who delivered results at exquisite moments; and Sato Ichiro and Murakami, who supported the team as pinch hitters—truly symbolized this season.

Third-year students Honma, Mizutori, and Saito Kaita, second-year ace Sotomaru, and first-year Ueda all worked just as hard as their seniors, each being a player with a unique personality. The student coaching staff, led by Chief Seki, supported the players from behind the scenes, and all members of the baseball club—including those who didn't make the roster, managers, the data team, analysts, student trainers, and the chief staff—led us to this result. We played 15 games in the spring and 14 in the autumn, and it was a joy to see the team grow with every match. This "team power" that Manager Horii has built over four years is the symbol of Keio baseball. Additionally, the presence of Assistant Manager Nakane, who built the strongest pitching staff and supported the players closely, was significant. There was always a bright atmosphere (smiles) in the dugout during games, and the sight of everyone dedicating themselves to someone else was truly wonderful. The championship brought by such a team gave me emotion and joy, and I felt as though I understood the meaning of "Enjoy Baseball" for the first time.

And then, of course, there was the loud cheering from the massive cheering squad. The cheering section was opened after a long time, and many Keio students, Keio University alumni, and faculty and staff members attended. I heard that the President of Waseda University had notified students to go to the Waseda-Keio rivalry, but the massive Keio cheering that exceeded it became the strength of the baseball club. After the victory, a ceremony was held in the cheering section, where I was able to sing "Oka no Ue" and "Wakaki-chi" together with President Itoh, Vice-President Yamauchi, and the fourth-year students who struggled through COVID-19. To inherit this culture that unites the Juku, I want to continue aiming to be the "blessed leaders" that the President speaks of. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to everyone involved.

The Meiji Jingu Baseball Championship begins on November 15, and I believe that by the time this article is published, we will have achieved the national title along with the high school, making it a true Keio Year.

(Subsequently, they defeated Aoyama Gakuin University in the final of the Meiji Jingu Baseball Championship held on November 20, brilliantly becoming the university national champions. [Editorial Department])