◆Japan-Korea Dream Players Game Japan 1-7 Korea (30th, ESCON)
The "Japan-Korea Dream Players Game 2025," a showdown between former professional baseball players from Japan and Korea, was held at ESCON on the 30th. Following last year's event, the second game was held as part of the "60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea," and brought together members who once represented both countries in a duel. Japan ended up suffering a crushing 1-7 defeat, but six former Nippon-Ham Fighters players also participated, delighting the 30,180 fans who gathered.
In the fifth inning, when "pinch hitter Inaba" was called, the stands erupted in cheers. Pushed on by the cheering song from Yakult days, he ended up grounding out to second base. "I was stuck (laughs). It's been a while. But it was fun. I thought I had practiced harder than last year." As the manager of Nippon-Ham' second team, he laughed and said, "I really understood how the players felt."
Everyone played seriously and with a smile on their face in the Japan-Korea match. Inaba, who experienced fierce battles with the Korean national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 and 2013 WBCs, said, "It's nice to be able to meet in this way. When I was a player, I always thought that I couldn't become the world's best unless I beat our rivals, Korea, but now that I'm older, I can meet them and have all kinds of exchanges." Itoi, who was named MVP at last year's first match, also said, "I thought it might only happen once, so I'm thrilled that the second one is being held. I've been training for a year for this." There was a "strange play" -double play play on a grounder to center field, but the players enjoyed the match until the very end.
Fans from both countries filled the stands and developed their own unique cheers. The Japanese team played the cheers of the players in order of their respective teams, and Inaba commented, "That was great. They didn't just play the cheers of one team, but of many teams, so it was nostalgic and fun." It was a happy time for both players and fans that went beyond exchange and goodwill. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)
〇... Second-team manager Inaba sent a love call to Sho Nakata. Meeting his junior colleague who he played alongside during his active days for the first time in a long time, he expressed his joy at the reunion, saying, "He swung and missed right down the middle in his retirement game (laughs). He was like, 'Oh, I really swung and missed,'" he said. He did not comment on future plans, but said, "I'd be happy if he came to the second-team facility in Kamagaya, and I'm thinking of contacting him about that." He said it would be difficult to have him as a temporary coach, but revealed, "He probably wouldn't come unless I asked him. I'd like to ask him."
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