The Keio University Baseball Club emerged victorious in the 2023 Fall Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, clinching the title for the 40th time.
This year marks the 120th anniversary since Keio was formally challenged for the first time by the Waseda University Baseball Club. This season's face-off culminated in an intense 3-day battle between the two rival schools' baseball teams.
The first match was held on Saturday, October 28th. Keio, down one run when going into the 9th inning, scored two runs to lead Waseda by one, only to see that lead reversed and suffer a bitter 2-3 defeat.
In the second match, Keio returned to form, scoring two runs over Waseda at the top of the game. From that point on, Keio refused to let Waseda score a single run, scoring an additional two runs themselves at the bottom of the 7th inning for an easy 4-0 victory.
The two teams were tied one-for-one going into the third and final Waseda-Keio match. Keio led in the beginning, but impressive play from athletes on both teams from the bottom of the 5th inning to the bottom of the 7th inning saw that lead narrow, electrifying the audience in the arena. The end of the match in sight, the cheering sections for both teams poured out their support enthusiastically. Ultimately, after a blistering struggle, the Keio University Baseball Club emerged on top, securing a 5-3 victory to beat Waseda in the third match and take the Big6 championship.
A few players logged notable achievements this season. Taizoh Kuribayashi, a 4th year outfielder from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, secured a triple crown. Additionally, Kuribayashi, along with Azuma Sotomaru, a 2nd year pitcher from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, and Kyosuke Miyazaki a 4th year catcher from the same undergraduate faculty, were honored as three of the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League's "Best Nine" for the season.
After the closing of the games, a victory ceremony was held in the cheering section with the baseball club members. While the celebration was short, both the fans who came to support the club and the players were able to share in the joy of victory.