The Meiji Jingu Baseball Tournament began for the first time in two years, and Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate, who participated for the first time in the high school division, defeated Kokugakuin Kugayama High School in Tokyo 6-3 and advanced to the second round.
The Meiji Jingu Tournament, which was canceled last year due to the influence of the new coronavirus, began on the 20th at Jingu Stadium for the first time in two years.
In the high school section, 10 teams that have won regional competitions nationwide, and in the university section, 11 teams, including the winning schools in national league games, participate.
At the opening ceremony, Asahi Tashiro, the captain of Hanamaki Higashi High School, swore that "I will not forget the feeling of gratitude for being able to play baseball, and I will turn my thoughts for two years into power and fight hotly." bottom.
On the first day of the tournament, Hanamaki Higashi High School and Kokugakuin Kugayama High School played against each other in the first match.
Hanamaki Higashi High School is the eldest son of director Hiroshi Sasaki and is the third grader, and Rintaro Sasaki hit the first solo home run in the first inning. rice field.
Sasaki said about the 48 solo home runs in high school, "I entered the turn at bat thinking that I could preempt the first time. I corrected the form that plunged forward and I was able to hit a home run in a good shape." bottom.
If all goes well, the high school and college finals will be held on the 25th of this month.