Hideki Matsui, an alumnus of the Giants professional baseball team's camp being held in Miyazaki City, has been teaching as a temporary coach since the 10th, the first day of the third season, giving enthusiastic advice, including swinging the bat himself during practice sessions. was sending.

Matsui, who played for the Giants and Major League Yankees, received a direct offer from manager Shinnosuke Abe, with whom he played for two years, to serve as a temporary coach for the first time in six years, and entered the stadium just after 9 a.m. on the 10th. I did.



On the 10th, 23,000 fans, the largest number at this camp, visited the stadium, and Matsui walked from in front of the first base bench to the red carpet laid out in the outfield and entered the field. ``I think the red carpet is a little too short to welcome him,'' he said jokingly.



He then greeted them by saying, ``Giants, I would like to tell you about my experience in America and encourage you all to have a good season.''



Mr. Matsui checked veteran Yoshihiro Maru's free batting from behind the cage with a serious look on his face, and exchanged words with him after he finished batting.



For Yuto Akihiro, a 21-year-old player who wears the uniform number 55 he wore during his playing days, he stayed behind for batting practice, and while Manager Abe was watching, he swung the bat himself and demonstrated his stance. For over 40 minutes, he passionately taught the students how to get the timing right, using body language and other techniques.

Matsui, who is from Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, also took a break from practice to ask fans who had come to the event space next to the stadium to donate money to support the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, saying, ``Every time I watch the video, it hurts my heart. He is trying to stand up and move forward, so I want to support him.''



Matsui said, ``Since I was able to see most of the players, I was able to get an image of each player, so it was a meaningful day.I hope to be able to give some advice after tomorrow.Akihiro is watching with great power. "I have a dream just by doing that," he said.



Regarding the fundraising activities, he expressed his gratitude, saying, ``A lot of people donated money, and I think the feelings of the fans will reach everyone in Ishikawa Prefecture and those affected by the disaster.''

Yuto Akihiro, coached by Mr. Matsui: “It was a happy time.”

Akihiro Yuto, who is 2 meters tall and has a good physique, hit 10 home runs last season and is expected to make even more progress this year, was coached by fellow left-handed hitter Hideki Matsui for about 40 minutes after the general practice. I received it.



Akihiro said, ``From his experience of playing in the major leagues, he taught me in an easy-to-understand manner the shortcomings of being large by comparing myself with players of the same size.I can't say specifically, but in the sense of correcting my shape. I was able to get some good practice by hitting in a difficult manner," he said.



``I was able to ask questions like ``How is the shape here?'' and Mr. Matsui told me, ``In order to get better, it's important to practice individually, not just on the field,'' which was a great learning experience. It happened,” he said.



He said with enthusiasm, ``As someone who is a senior to the Giants and wears No. 55, it was a happy time for me, and I want to do my best this season so I don't feel ashamed of No. 55.''