In the finals of the Tokyo Olympics and baseball, Japan defeated the United States 2-0 and won the first gold medal in the official competition.


Director Atsunori Inaba vowed to "take a gold medal and leave a name in history" at the Olympic Games held in his own country.

Immediately after the long-awaited gold medal was decided, tears overflowed from the commander's eyes.

There was no easy match

The players who won the tough battle raised their bodies five times, spread their hands with a big smile, and entrusted their bodies.



"Anyway, the players want to win and win the gold medal, and we were able to play with a really good team. I think it's a victory that everyone got."



This baseball is an irregular method including the repechage. Because it was done, I was able to advance to the final even if I lost in the final tournament.



Meanwhile, Japan won all five games from the qualifying league to the final.



Still, Manager Inaba recalled, "There was no easy match."



In the first match of the qualifying league against the Dominican Republic, he overturned the difference of 2 points to the back in the 9th inning and won the reversal goodbye.



In the quarter-final against the United States, he won the 10th extended goodbye.



In the semi-final against South Korea, he won eight times.



And the final that played against the United States again became a suffocating pitcher battle.



In Japan, 21-year-old Munetaka Murakami, the youngest player on the team, hit a home run in the third inning to take the lead.



In the 8th inning, I took advantage of my opponent's mistakes and gave additional points.



And as Director Inaba said, "I want to play defensive baseball centered on pitchers," 23-year-old pitcher Masato Morishita won the game with five shutout relays, including five innings with no runs.

I was able to get the world to see the strength of Japanese baseball

"I think I could have seen the strength of Japanese baseball in the world by winning the gold medal." At the



post-match ceremony, 24 players were happy to win each other's gold medals on the podium. I stood in front of the bench and watched with a gentle expression.



Then, at the time of the commemorative photo, Ryosuke Kikuchi gave me a gold medal and I unintentionally loosened my cheeks.



"It had a very nice color and it felt heavy. I was able to win the gold medal again. I was only grateful to the players."

Younger generation is active

In addition to pitchers Morishita and Murakami, two rookies, Hiromi Itoh and Ryoji Kuribayashi, who showed good pitching in the final, were also young players who seized the chance to participate in the postponement of the Olympic Games for one year.



At the press conference after the match, three players, Inaba, Murakami, and Morishita, lined up.



So Inaba revealed to Murakami that he had told Murakami that "you will be pulling the Japanese national team in the future."



Furthermore, "The younger generation will take over SAMURAI JAPAN from now on. And I will ask the team to bring back what I got at this Olympics. Then I think that it will be connected again. The younger generation will be such an international in the future. I hope he will play an active role on the stage. "



After hearing Inaba's thoughts, pitcher Morishita said, "I entered professional baseball because I wanted to be a pitcher representing the ball world, so I want to be a pitcher who can lead the Hiroshima team first." , Murakami said, "I joined the team with the goal of carrying Hinomaru on my back and hitting No. 4. This time, I played a role of solidifying my armpits, but I really understood the feelings of such players, and I also carried Hinomaru on my back and hit No. 4. When it's time to hit, I want to carry a lot of that feeling on my back. "

Finally from the heavy pressure that I kept carrying on my back

After the press conference, Director Inaba laughed, "I still can't believe I won the gold medal, maybe because I don't have a medal," and looked back at the tournament with a relieved expression.



"It's a really good team, so I'm lonely. Even though the leaders are nervous, the players are growing up, and I've always thought that they are amazing players throughout this tournament. I'm really glad to see him at the top. Thanks to the support of various people, I've been able to do this. I haven't done anything.



" The expression of Director Inaba, who was finally released from the pressure he continued to carry on his back, was radiant.