Rakuten Imae's retirement interview "It was a happy baseball life" Oct. 18 22:25
Toshiaki Imae, who played with professional baseball Lotte and Rakuten and decided to retire for this season only, recalled, “There were more difficult things but it was a happy baseball life.”
36-year-old Imae joined Lotte from PL Academy in Osaka and contributed to the team's best in Japan by demonstrating MVP in two Japanese series in 2005 and 2010 with strong batting. .
In 2016, he transferred to Rakuten as a free agent, and achieved 1500 hits. However, this season, which is the 18th year of the pro, has been in the 26th game due to a poor right eye. I decided to retire because I was out of the strength concept of the season.
Imae retired at the Rakuten Life Park Miyagi in Sendai on the 18th. `` I was strong because I was healthy, but I was worried about playing with a different team while I did not know what my eyes would be like. I thought it was my mission to be the best in Japan at Rakuten, but I'm sorry I couldn't contribute, but there were more painful things such as injuries, but it was a happy baseball life with many fans supporting me "I was looking back.
Imae has been consulted by the team to become a coach and is considering it positively.