Summer national high school baseball that started on the 10th.

This is the first stage in two years for the children.

At Osaka Toin High School, there is a special ball that only the ace carrying the "uniform number 1" can get.

Osaka Toin's "Jersey number 1"

Osaka Toin High School participated for the 11th time in 3 years.


Athletes with promising future gather from all over the country, and all of them will hone their skills and train their bodies for three years while living in the dormitory.



Among them, a ball that can only be obtained by the ace who carries the "uniform number 1" on his back.


The large letters are "1 to next 1".

There is also a message that Ace, who finished the last summer tournament, entrusted to Ace in the next grade.

The ball, which retains the name of the player who advanced to professional baseball, has been inherited since 2015 and conveys the pride of Osaka Toin's ace.

To the undisputed ace

Now, the player who is holding this ball is pitcher Keito Matsuura, who is in the third grade.


He is a left pitcher who throws a straight of 150km at the fastest from a blessed physique of 1m 86cm and 94kg, and is one of the people who attracts attention in this tournament.



Pitcher Matsuura is from Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.

Ten years ago, when I was in the first grade of elementary school, I lost my friend in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the school building of the elementary school I was attending became unusable.


After that, I moved to Asahikawa, Hokkaido because of my father's work, but I have never forgotten about my hometown.


And pitcher Matsuura struck the gate of Osaka Toin, dreaming of Koshien.

Pitcher Matsuura


"I think there were people who couldn't play baseball because of the tsunami. I'm doing it with the feeling that I'll play baseball on behalf of everyone."



After the exchange game held at Koshien last summer, When the new team was launched, pitcher Matsuura received "uniform number 1".


And I was entrusted with two balls by pitcher Fujie Hoshikawa who was an ace one grade higher.



"To the best pitcher in Japan"


"From here to your generation"



There is also a message that pitcher Fujie sent to pitcher Matsuura in the thought that successive ace delivered to the next ace.



"I want Matsuura to become a player suitable for Toin Gakuen's" 1 ". Do your best to become an undisputed person !!"

Osaka Toin has become a yokozuna in the high school baseball world.

Pitcher Matsuura pursued the undisputed appearance of Ace, which is suitable for it.


But the journey has never been so sweet.


In this spring Senbatsu, we will play against Chiben Gakuen in Nara.

The opponent who lost in the final of the Kinki tournament last fall attacked the start of the task, and by the 4th inning, he had 4 goals.

The team lost again.



Osaka Toin lost his first match in his 12th appearance at Senbatsu.

I was disappointed, saying, "I have polluted the history of the baseball club."



At the subsequent spring tournament, Koichi Nishitani's policy was for pitcher Matsuura to leave the bench and hand over "uniform number 1" to another player.

Director Koichi Nishitani


"I felt that the adjustment was not going well with the pitching content of Senbatsu. I want you to rebuild your body."

For the last summer

Pitcher Matsuura lost his "uniform number 1".

He continued to practice steadily, such as retraining his lower body, with a thorough run, saying, "I want to defeat the batter with a fastball and lead the team to the best in Japan."

Matsuura pitcher


, "a look at the success of rivals, to feel even grade of momentum under. I thought that it is useless in this state, pitcher everyone to have the aim of Ace"



that became such time support, took over from senior There were only two balls.

He says that he inspired himself when he had to be firm.



Matsuura regained his original strength by the summer tournament and regained his "uniform number 1".

Pitcher Matsuura challenges the last summer as an ace.


I swear on the two balls that will be inherited.



Pitcher Matsuura


"Osaka Toin's" jersey number 1 "is different from other teams' jersey number 1. He

pitched

like Osaka Toin's ace, won the Koshien, and gave a good report to his seniors. Want to"

Osaka Toin High School will play the first match against Tokai University Sugao High School, the representative of West Tokyo.