Professional baseball kicks off three months later Mission sense strengthened by Corona's brutal June 20 16:56
Professional baseball, whose opening has been postponed again and again due to the spread of the new coronavirus, took the lead among the major sports in the country on the 19th, and the regular season began with no audience. The season lasting until November should continue to face the risk of infection.
Nevertheless, players and team members who took a step to recover their daily life about three months behind the original plan said, "I would like to convey a bright topic. I would like to respond to the fans who love and wait for professional baseball." Speak
How did the professional baseball world face the new coronavirus?
The reporter in charge of the giant looks back on the interview for about five months.
Fighting the virus
Mid February. I was interviewing a giant camp in Okinawa.
At that time, the teams were demanding that news media companies wear masks, but this was mainly to prevent seasonal flu.
However, in the open battle held in Naha City on February 23 after the first infected person in Okinawa, measures such as disinfectant solution for the audience were placed at the stadium.
At this time, it takes about a month until March 20th, the opening day of the original season. While I was covering the infection control measures at the stadium, I thought that the opening would be okay, but I did not take the situation that would affect the opening.
Unprecedented unaided match
That idea quickly changed two days later.
On February 25th, the team launched a camp and I returned from Okinawa, but the reporter of the Inayan giant who arrived at Haneda Airport was directly gathered at the team office. And at the end of the month, he announced that he would hold an open game at Tokyo Dome with no audience.
On the next day, a representative meeting of 12 teams was held, and it was decided that not only the game hosted by the giant but also the rest of the open game until the opening would be held with no audience.
The unspectator match was an unprecedented and painful decision for the first time in history, including the official match.
From here, the response to the unknown virus in the world of sphere has begun in earnest.
Prepared to postpone the opening
Although we were able to cover the open field, which became an unspectated spectator, measures such as wearing a mask and measuring temperature were thoroughly implemented.
The problem is that the so-called “hanging”, where individual athletes and leaders are interviewed in the stadium, is restricted from the viewpoint of infection prevention. I couldn't hear the thoughts of the players at that time.
Around this time, the voices of the players and staff began to hear, "Isn't it time to start on schedule?"
As I was interviewing with the same feeling, I asked the players that the opening was approaching but how would it be responding in a joint enclosure interview with each company, but there was something in my mind did.
And the postponement of the opening was decided at the representative meeting of the 12 teams held on March 9.
I wasn't surprised that "it happened again."
Ace's thoughts
After that, the opening was postponed repeatedly. It became difficult to practice the team to avoid "tightness", and the adjustment of the players had to be redone.
Some teams can no longer use the club facilities.
Giant Ace, pitcher Tomoyuki Kanno, was revealing his painful chest at this time.
Pitcher Sugano
"I can't keep my motivation and my goal is to open, but it's very uncertain."
Even the pitchers who represent the world of the ball world, who have passed through many shrines, have had difficulty controlling their feelings.
On the other hand, I also felt the responsibility that professional baseball should fulfill.
Pitcher Sugano
"I think it would be good if we could devise countermeasures against viruses and have a good season to become a catalyst for other sports and various performances to move forward. We should do it in a given environment. No
, I think the words of pitcher Kanno were common to all professional baseball players.
12 teams unified with a sense of mission
As the athletes continued their individual training silently, 12 teams and others were searching for what conditions could be met in consideration of the spread of virus infection and the policy of the government.
Holding games with no spectators will be a big pain in terms of management, as ticket income and sales of food and drink and goods at the stadium will be completely eliminated.
Nevertheless, with the aim of opening the season early, it started on June 19th, about three months behind the original schedule.
When I asked an executive of a baseball team about the decision to disregard income from professional baseball, which is also a box office, the following answer came back.
Team executives
“Professional baseball has a role to play in society. It is the hope of the people and is responsible for fulfilling it. We will balance infection control and social activities.” Although the
word is different, it is common with Pitcher Sugano. I was thinking.
Become a baseball team
In the future, if the state of emergency is announced again, there is a possibility that league games will be interrupted, and the situation remains unpredictable.
Each team will compete in the pennant race based on the detailed guidelines for infection prevention, but we hope that the baseball world will work as one to survive an unprecedented season.
(Sports news department reporter Kenta Hayashida)