[Nippon-Ham] Akihiro Wakabayashi hits wall into the right-center triple in his retirement game. Fans hold up towels from his time with The Giants. | Pacific League

[Nippon-Ham] Akihiro Wakabayashi hit triple that hit wall in right-center field in his retirement game. Fans also held up towels from his time with The Giants

Sports Hochi

2025.9.28(日) 14:34

Nippon-Ham infielder Akihiro Wakabayashi played his retirement game against the Eastern League Yakult (Kamagaya Stadium) on the 28th. He started as the third batter and third starting line-up. In his first at-bat with two outs in the first inning, he caught a fastball from Numata and hit triple that hit the right-center wall fence. Yakult Swallows stood in the warm atmosphere on the bench, and a huge fly ball erupted in cheers. After being replaced by a pinch runner, he retired to the bench, where he was met with thunderous applause.

The stands were packed with people related to him, including his parents, family, his former coach at Toin Gakuen, his teammates, and former The Giants manager Yoshinobu Takahashi. Some fans were seen holding cheering towels from his time with The Giants.

At his retirement press conference, Wakabayashi said with tears in his eyes, “I never thought I would be able to play a retirement game, so I am extremely grateful to the people at the team who created this opportunity.”

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