The Panasonic baseball team, boasting 76 years of history, will face its final tournament. Following the "51st Social Baseball Japan Championship" starting on October 31st, the team will suspend its activities. This tournament, marking their 44th appearance and first in three years, will be the final major stage for the prestigious team that has led the social baseball world for many years.

At the draft meeting on October 22nd, just before the tournament, ace pitcher Seiya Kakimoto was selected in the second round by the Saitama Seibu Lions. This is the first draft selection from Panasonic in nine years and the 32nd overall. As the team's suspension of activities approaches, a new player has emerged to take flight into the professional world.

Heading into the final tournament, we spoke with manager Takaharu Inoue, who leads the team, general coach Takashi Toritani, who played for the Hanshin Tigers and Chiba Lotte Marines in professional baseball, and pitcher Kakimoto. Gratitude for the people who supported them, what they gained from social baseball, and their feelings for the team. From their respective positions, they share their thoughts on the final Japan Championship.

"I want them to fight without leaving any regrets," says Director Takaharu Inoue.

――Please tell us your enthusiasm for the 44th Japan Championship, the first in three tournaments.

Manager Inoue: This will be the final tournament for the Panasonic baseball club. We will fight with all our might until the very end, with feelings of gratitude toward the employees and fans who have supported us thus far. The team will unite as one and do our absolute best to show everyone a final heroic figure that will remain in your hearts, so we ask for your passionate support.

――What kind of words are you giving to the players facing their final tournament?

Manager Inoue: I have told the players many times, "I want you to fight without leaving any regrets." And, with feelings of gratitude in our hearts for everyone who has supported us, I am telling them to maintain the spirit of the Panasonic baseball club until the very end for the employees and fans who come to the stadium.

――You have been involved with the team for many years as a player, coach, and manager. Please tell us your thoughts on the Panasonic baseball club.

Manager Inoue: I have been active in the Panasonic baseball club for 14 years and have been supported by many people. For that reason, I feel lonely that the baseball club will be suspended, and to be honest, I also feel apologetic.

However, precisely because it is a team with tradition that many predecessors have built up over a long history, I want to take that pride to heart and fight with all my might, holding my head high until the very, very end.

The importance of facing each individual, learned through adult baseball. Coach Takashi Toritani.

――What is your impression of Nippon Life, your opponent in the first game?

Coach Toritani: Nippon Life is a very formidable team once their lineup gains momentum. My impression is that they have a continuous lineup from the 1st to the 9th hitter, with every player possessing high ability.

――You have spent four years as a coach in the world of industrial baseball, which is different from professional baseball. What have you learned from this experience?

Coach Toritani: While interacting with players who have different goals and positions—such as those aiming for professional baseball, those returning to company business, and those trying to burn out completely in industrial baseball—I learned the difficulty and importance of facing each individual while staying close to them.

――From your position of having experienced both professional baseball and industrial baseball, how do you feel about the appeal of industrial baseball and the Japan Diamond Baseball Championship?

Coach Toritani: I believe the appeal of industrial baseball lies in the way players of the same age as professional baseball players, while holding different positions and thoughts, join forces toward a single goal and challenge themselves in a single-elimination battle.

Furthermore, I feel that the way they engage in competition within a unique sense of tension, while carrying the responsibility and pressure of fighting as representatives of their company, is also a major attraction unique to industrial baseball.

"I want to deliver a pitch that lives up to the names of great pitchers," says ace pitcher Seiya Kakimoto.

――As the ace of a team with a long history, you are entering your final tournament. What kind of pitching are you aiming for?

Pitcher Kakimoto: What I value most as a pitcher is delivering a pitch that leads the team to a win. I want to contribute to the team's win by showcasing a performance that would not shame the great pitchers who have built the history of the Panasonic baseball club.

――During your experience in industrial baseball, which pitch type do you feel has improved the most?

Pitcher Kakimoto: Compared to my university days, I feel the fastball is what has improved the most.

By engaging in training aimed at improving physical functions, I have been able to grow significantly as a pitcher, with increased ball power and more stable control.

――What kind of team was the Panasonic baseball club for you, Pitcher Kakimoto?

Pitcher Kakimoto: It was a very bright and close-knit team, not only during practice but also outside of it.
In a good way, there were no barriers between seniors and juniors, and I was able to communicate easily with anyone. I think it was a very blessed environment where I could consult about anything from baseball to private matters.

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Manager Inoue, who leads the team as manager; Coach Toritani, who has provided guidance in an environment different from professional baseball; and Pitcher Kakimoto, who stands on the mound as the ace. From each of their words, one can see their feelings for the Panasonic baseball club and their determination to fight with all their might until the very end.

The Panasonic baseball club's first game is against Nippon Life, held at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday, October 31st at 18:00. The serious battle that will conclude 76 years of history begins.

information

Members of the Orix Buffaloes The Buffaloes official fan club "BsCLUB" can watch the "51st Social baseball Japan Championship" at a discounted price. This applies only to same-day tickets; please present your membership card at the Kyocera Dome Osaka ticket sales window. The ticket types and discounted prices are as follows:
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・Premium Seats (backstop rear front row / Includes a 500 yen coupon usable inside the dome)
General price 3,300 yen → Member special price 2,850 yen (Member only)
・Special Seats (backstop rear middle/back rows)
General price 1,650 yen → Member special price 1,450 yen (Same as above)
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For details of the tournament, please check the official website of the Japan Association of baseball Federations (https://www.jaba.or.jp/51baseball/).