The professional baseball camp will start tomorrow, February 1st.
Except for Seibu, which is scheduled to camp on the 6th, each team is entering the camp one after another on the 31st.
We have summarized the activities of each team on the day before the camp-in, such as the welcome ceremony, prayers for victory, and the unveiling of new uniforms.
"Pacific League"
ORIX Parade to celebrate "Japan's No. 1" in the center of Miyazaki City
A parade celebrating Orix's No. 1 in Japan was held on the night of the 31st at Takachiho Street in the center of Miyazaki City, where the team camps.
At the ceremony held prior to the parade, coach Satoshi Nakajima and player chairman Yutaro Sugimoto received a bouquet of flowers.
Sugimoto said, “I was able to become No. 1 in Japan last year, and I was able to realize my dream of holding a parade in Miyazaki. Please support me," he said.
After that, about 30 players, including Director Nakajima, ace from Miyakonojo High School in Miyazaki Prefecture, and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, were divided into six cars and paraded about 600 meters while waving their hands.
According to the organizers, about 30,000 people gathered along the route, and the fans shared their joy by waving small flags and taking pictures with their smartphones.
After the parade, Sugimoto said, "I was surprised that there were more people than I had imagined. I'm very happy, and I think today's parade has made everyone even more motivated. I want to do my best from camp," he said.
Welcome ceremony at SoftBank Camp Miyazaki airport
Softbank players and leaders arrived at Miyazaki Airport on the evening of the 31st and were greeted by a large number of fans.
At the welcome ceremony, bouquets were presented to Coach Hiroshi Fujimoto and Players' Chairman Kenta Imamiya.
Director Fujimoto said in his greeting, "I feel refreshed. I believe that a very tough competition will be held from tomorrow. Please send warm encouragement to the players."
The camp, which starts in Miyazaki City, will feature three players, including Kensuke Kondo, who has been selected to represent Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March, and most of the main players, including captain Yuki Yanagida.
Kondo said, “I was surprised by the number of people at the airport. showed enthusiasm.
Softbank's spring camp will be held from 1st to March 2nd at Ikimemori Sports Park in Miyazaki City, etc., and the team will start strengthening the team in earnest to win the league championship for the first time in three years.
Rakuten Norimoto, Asamura and others voluntarily train in Kin town, Okinawa, where they camp
The players participating in the 1st army camp, who arrived on the ground on the 30th, began their voluntary training from the morning of the 31st at the camp ground in Kin Town, Okinawa Prefecture.
Under clear skies with a temperature of 19 degrees, the pitchers and fielders warmed up, and among the pitchers, last year's opening pitcher Norimoto and 38-year-old Takayuki Kishi, the team's oldest pitcher, immediately entered the bullpen. .
In fielders, captain Asamura and Hiroaki Shimauchi prepared for the camp by doing tee batting.
Pitcher Norimoto said, "I threw about 10 pitches in the bullpen just to confirm. Since the number of young pitchers has increased, I would like to give advice like a veteran and do the camp without injury."
In addition, two new uniforms were unveiled, one with a gradation color based on the team color "Crimson Red" and the other with a green image of trees in the Tohoku region, which Rakuten will wear in some games this season.
Asamura, who wore the captain's mark on his right chest, said, "It's heavy. I want to carry the captain's mark on my chest and get the best results."
Lotte Okinawa Meeting at the indoor practice field in Ishigaki City
Before the camp-in, the Lotte players held a meeting at the indoor training ground of Ishigaki City Central Sports Park.
Among them, Manager Yoshii announced that the team's slogan for this season was "Turn today into a chance."
Director Yoshii called out, "Even if you try something and fail, I want you to think of it as an opportunity and connect it to the next one. Anyway, I want you to create a cycle of trying, looking back, and learning lessons."
In the afternoon, a press conference was held in Ishigaki City for two new foreign players, pitchers Mercedes and Castillo, who will be joining the team from this camp.
Of these, pitcher Mercedes, who played for the Giants for five years until last season and had a total of 29 wins, 28 losses, and an ERA of 3.14, said, "I want to work 100% every day to make the team the best in Japan. When I'm throwing. I want to focus on winning and become someone who gives courage to my teammates even when I'm not pitching."
Pitcher Castillo, who played for the Major League Tigers last season, said, "I can't wait for the season to start. I want to do my part well."
According to Director Yoshii, Mercedes will be the starting pitcher and Castillo will be the reliever.
《Se League》
Praying for victory in Naha City for the first league victory in the history of the Yakult team for the third consecutive time
Manager Takatsu of Yakult, who won consecutive league titles last season, and pitcher Ogawa, the player's chairman, visited the shrine "Naminouegu" in Naha City with team executives.
Manager Takatsu and pitcher Ogawa offered Tamagushi and prayed for safety during the camp and victory of the season, and then wrote their wishes on votive plaques.
Coach Takatsu wrote on the ema that ``Health comes first'' and said, ``The ultimate goal is to win, but as the first step, I want the players to stand on the ground in good health.'' .
In addition, pitcher Ogawa wrote on the ema that he was the best in Japan, saying, "Last year, I was disappointed that I couldn't get the best in Japan, so I want to make a fresh start and do my best to win. At the camp, I will improve my mind, technique, and body. I want to improve. I want to win double digits this season and lead the team as a pillar of the starting line-up."
In addition, three new foreign pitchers who have newly joined Yakult held a press conference at a hotel in Naha City.
The three are American Kella, Dillon Peters, and Lynel Espinal from the Dominican Republic.
Among them, Kera is a right-handed pitcher with a height of 1.85 cm, and has the characteristics of a straight line with a maximum speed of 160 km and a sharp curve.
He has appeared in 243 MLB games, all as a reliever.
Yakult has been enrolled for four years until last season, and pitcher McGuff, who contributed to the league title as a suppressor, has left the team, and pitcher Kera is expected to be a candidate for suppressing.
Pitcher Kera has been practicing splits and other new pitches this off-season, saying, "I'm looking forward to playing in Japan. I want to appeal with hot and aggressive pitching. The team wins as a closer. I would like to contribute to the league and do my best to help them win their third consecutive league title."
Welcome Ceremony at DeNA Campsite Okinawa Ginowan City
DeNA's spring camp will be held in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture for the 1st Army and Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture for the 2nd Army.
On the 31st, coach Miura and catcher Matsuo Shion, who joined the team in first place in the draft, arrived at Naha Airport and moved to the camp site.
At the welcome ceremony held at the hotel where they are lodging in Ginowan City, in front of the locals and gathered fans, Director Miura said, ``What we didn't reach last year, what we lacked, we practiced well at this Okinawa camp. I want to continue," he said enthusiastically.
Last year, DeNA, who was second in the Central League, was an FA = free agent, and the catcher Hiroki Minei, who played the most games on the team last season, transferred to Softbank, so the focus is on the battle for the right catcher. , Matsuo, who is participating in the 1st army camp in the first year after graduating from high school, said, "I have a chance, so I want to improve my level while communicating with the pitcher and appeal."
In addition, Shugo Maki, who was selected to represent Japan in the WBC = World Baseball Classic, which will start in March, said, "I think I did a good voluntary training in January. The actual game is a month earlier than usual. At camp, I want to make adjustments while watching the pitcher's ball in the bullpen."
Giants enter Miyazaki camp and pray for victory for the first time in three years
Last season's 4th-placed Giants arrived at Miyazaki Airport after 10:00 a.m. with first-team players such as Hara, the coaches, and Kazuma Okamoto.
A welcome ceremony was held at the airport for the first time in three years, and Hara was handed a bouquet of flowers by a local elementary school student. Did.
After that, Director Hara and Okamoto, who moved to a shrine in Miyazaki City, offered Tamagushi and prayed for the first victory in three years and the first victory in Japan for the first time in 11 years.
Coach Hara was enthusiastic, saying, ``I want to have a fruitful camp and a good start.
In addition, Okamoto said, "I don't have to be particularly conscious of anything as a captain, but I think the camp that starts here is a very important time, so I want to work day by day so that I don't have any regrets." I was.
Hiroshima Campsite Enter Nichinan City
On the afternoon of the 31st, a bus carrying Manager Arai and the players of the 1st Army arrived at the hotel, and in addition to the main pitchers expected to be in the starting rotation, such as Ryo Osera and Masahito Morishita, Akiyama will be in Hiroshima for the first time in the spring camp. Shogo entered the hotel one after another with a firm expression.
After that, the team held a meeting as a whole, and Coach Arai called on the players, ``I want him to focus on what he needs to do to win.''
Pitcher Ryo Osera said, "Manager Arai said, 'I have high expectations for everyone,' and I think the camp will be full of motivation and liveliness. As a team, we want to work hard with a high level of competitiveness." .
The 1st Army Camp in Hiroshima will be held in Nichinan City from February 1st to the 15th of next month, after which it will be moved to Okinawa City.