Orix Buffaloes pitcher Naruki Teranishi (24) expressed his joy on the 24th regarding the appointment of Hideki Matsui (52) as the new manager of The Giants. Both are from Ishikawa Prefecture, and the new manager Matsui is a senior alumnus of Nomi City Hama Elementary School, Nomi City Neagari Junior High School, and Seiryo High School. He is a legend whom Teranishi has admired since their first meeting in elementary school and continues to respect deeply. This is a chance to 'reunite' as professional baseball players. Teranishi intends to establish himself in the first team next season, his third year, and introduce himself with pride.

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Orix Buffaloes' Teranishi's eyes sparkled. "I think it's amazing. I feel like I'd want to be the first to greet Mr. Matsui if I could meet him," he said. When the appointment of Hideki Matsui as the new manager of The Giants was announced on the 23rd, a smile naturally spread across his face as he searched his memories.

Born in the same Ishikawa Prefecture, he is a 'direct' junior to the new manager Matsui from elementary, junior high, and high school. During his elementary school years, he won the 'Hideki Matsui Cup' schoolboy baseball tournament. The privilege of the winning team was being able to shake hands with the big star at the awards ceremony. He began to admire him, saying, 'When I saw him up close, he really felt like a "great man".'

His mentor at Seiryo High School, Manager Kazunari Hayashi, was one year junior to the new Manager Matsui, and they played together as the third baseman and shortstop in the 1992 Spring Senbatsu. When he himself made it to Koshien in the summer of his freshman year, a message arrived through Manager Hayashi: "Tell that kid from the same hometown to work even harder." He felt the joy of knowing that Matsui was aware of his existence, even indirectly. He made further leaps at Nippon Sport Science University and began to attract the attention of professional scouts.

Last year as a rookie, he recorded two wins, and his first professional win was against The Giants on June 13th (at Kyocera Dome). This season, he recorded 4 wins and 9 holds in 27 games (including 6 starts). His maximum speed increased to 158 km/h. 'I want to see Mr. Matsui in person. To do that, I have to work hard so that I can stay on the first-team roster.' Since they are in different leagues (Central and Pacific), exhibition games and interleague play are the chances for a 'reunion.' He now has even more reason to work hard.

In the Phoenix League currently being held in Miyazaki, he pitched in three games, completing a maximum of five innings. Looking ahead to his third season next year, he said, 'I want to be ready to work as either a starter or a reliever. I learned about the importance of preparation and the fear and significance of a single pitch, so I must make use of this experience.' The hard-throwing pitcher, who is conscious of 'Mr. Matsui,' added, 'I suppose it will finally feel real when I actually get to face him...' He will train rigorously to make his dream a reality. (Toru Osada)

Naruki Teranishi. Born October 18, 2002, in Nomi City, Ishikawa. 24 years old. Started baseball with the Neagari Gakudo Baseball Club in his third year at Hama Elementary School, and was selected for the U-15 Samurai Japan in the fall of 2017 during his third year at Neagari Junior High School. In the summer of 2019, during his second year at Seiryo High School, he experienced a national runner-up finish alongside Yakult's Okugawa, who was one grade above him. After attending Nippon Sport Science University, he joined the Orix Buffaloes as a second-round draft pick in 2024. On June 13, 2025, in a game against The Giants (Kyocera Dome), he achieved his first professional win, the fastest for a rookie in the Pacific League. 186 cm, 85 kg. Estimated annual salary of 14 million yen.

Main professional baseball players from Seiryo High School: In addition to Hideki Matsui (The Giants, etc. - 1992 graduate), there are Tatsuo Komatsu (Chunichi - 1977 graduate), Arihito Muramatsu (Softbank Hawks - 1990 graduate), Shogo Yamamoto (Kintetsu, etc. - 2000 graduate), Hiroaki Shimauchi (Rakuten Eagles - 2007 graduate), and others. Active players include Yasunobu Okugawa (Yakult - 2019 graduate), Soma Uchiyama (2020 graduate), and Shinnosuke Yamase (The Giants - 2019 graduate).