◆ “Ishii had a smile on his face at that time.”
Nippon-Ham win Seibu 4-0 on the 6th. Kazunari Ishii, batting fourth for the first time in three years, had four At Bat and one RBI in four hit, contributing to the team’s fourth consecutive win.
Although Ishii showed batting that lived up to expectations, Takagi Yutaka, who appeared on Fuji TV ONE’s “Professional baseball News 2025” broadcast on the 6th, revealed a surprising episode, saying, “When I was talking with Manager Shinjo at Zozo Marine Stadium in early spring, he said casually that if he didn’t hit today, he’d be sent to the farm team. Just as he said, Ishii dropped down the next day or something.” “But his performance since coming up has been amazing,” said Takagi, pointing out that Ishii’s batting average improved, reaching .342 in July and .389 in August. Sakaguchi Tomotaka responded, “I think there must be a lot of trust between the player and the manager. Normally, if he really dropped down, you’d be nervous about that game.”
Takagi recalled, “Ishii had a smile on his face at that time. He was determined to do his best,” and praised the manager’s skill, saying, “So I think Manager Shinjo is good at making players determine their own goals.”
☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE “Professional baseball News 2025”
AloJapan.com