It has been 11 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, and at that time, pitcher Roki Sasaki of professional baseball Lotte, who lost his father and grandparents in the tsunami in Iwate Prefecture, said, "Even after 11 years, the pain and sadness are It won't disappear, but with the support of many people, I've been able to devote myself to baseball, so I'm just grateful. "
Roki Sasaki, a pitcher from Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake at the age of 9, and his father, Kota, and his grandparents, who were 37 at the time, died after being swept away by the tsunami.
Pitcher Sasaki responded to an interview after practicing at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba City, the home of the team, on the 11th of 11 years after the earthquake. Now that I'm devoting myself to baseball, I'm just grateful to those who supported me. I think there are children who don't know about the earthquake, but I don't take it for granted to face important people around me. I want you to do it. "
On top of that, he said, "I want to throw a lot in the game and do my best to show as many good plays as possible so that the people of Tohoku will be pleased" toward the start of the season, which was set two weeks later. I did.