Professional baseball Chunichi held a match against DeNA on the 5th at its home base last month as a memorial match for pitcher Yusuke Kinoshita, who died at the young age of 27.
Pitcher Kinoshita collapsed during a practice session in Nagoya in July, and died on August 3 at the young age of 27, in his fifth year as a professional.
Chunichi held the DeNA match on the 5th at "Vantelin Dome Nagoya", the home base, as a memorial match for pitcher Kinoshita.
Director Tsuyoshi Yoda, the coach, and all the players wore the uniform number "98" worn by pitcher Kinoshita.
At the pre-match memorial service, he handed the bouquet to the mound engraved with the number "98" and lined up in front of the bench to pray for pitcher Kinoshita.
In addition, pitcher Kinoshita's eldest daughter, Kanami Sato, who was four years old, and her eldest son, Shigen, who was two years old, also participated in the ceremony.
In the match, Chunichi joined Pitcher Kinoshita at the same time, and Yota Kyoda, the chairman of the player, made a timely hit and won 2-0, dedicating the victory to Pitcher Kinoshita.
After the match, Kyoda vowed, "I was taken care of by Yusuke, so I wanted to win and make a good report. I will continue to fight Yusuke."
Director Yoda "I wanted to deliver victory"
After the memorial match, Chunichi Yoda said, "Of course, today is a memorial match for pitcher Yusuke Kinoshita, but everyone's thoughts haven't changed since Yusuke fell. I didn't do anything special today. For the first time, the bereaved family came to the stadium with various thoughts, and we wanted to deliver victory at all costs. I'm glad that thoughts came to fruition. "
Regarding pitcher Kinoshita, "I was a favorite child, a favorite player. Well, I think it's the past tense. In a word, that's the case. It's the same for baseball, and a boy I really love as a young man. I'm lonely, but we all have to overcome it. "
Kinoshita's family "I think he is happy too."
The family of pitcher Yusuke Kinoshita who participated in the memorial match said through the team, "Thank you for playing the memorial match for Yusuke Kinoshita today. I think he is happy. We would like to thank all the fans and all concerned. Thank you. "
Chunichi wins 2-0
Chunichi vs. DeNA won 2-0 with Chunichi.
In the 8th inning of 0-0, Chunichi broke the equilibrium by scoring 2 points in a continuous timely two-base of pinch hitter Fukudome and Kyoda.
The pitchers are a no-goal relay, and the fourth pitcher, Matayoshi, is the first win of the season.
In DeNA, starting pitcher Imanaga pitched well with no runs in the 7th inning, but Escobar was hit in the 8th inning without taking advantage of the chance.