◆ Seibu Lions Pacific League: Seibu vs. Orix Buffaloes (18th, Tokyo Dome)

On the 18th, Yokohama High School alumni Seibu Lions and Haruki Sugiyama pitcher shared their thoughts on Motonori Watanabe, the former head coach of the Yokohama High School baseball team, who passed away on the 17th at the age of 81.

The left-handed pitcher joined Seibu Lions in 2023 as the third overall pick in the draft from Yokohama High School. He hasn't pitched in a first-team game yet this season, but he has already joined the first team and is preparing for his first appearance of the season.

For Sugiyama, Watanabe is someone he is endlessly grateful to, saying, "He came almost every day and gave me all sorts of pitching instruction. It's no exaggeration to say that I wouldn't be where I am today without Manager Watanabe; he helped me so much."

The last time he saw her was about a month ago at a farm team DeNA-Seibu Lions game (Yokosuka), and she said, "My high school's ground is nearby, so I said hello on my way back, and we talked then. We talked about a lot of baseball-related things."

The left-handed pitcher said that the words "Your goal governs each and every day," given to him by Watanabe, still serve as his guiding principle. "It's true that by having a goal each and every day, you grow day by day. It's a phrase I'll never forget, and it's one of the phrases I want to cherish going forward. I want to become a player who can surpass seniors like Matsuzaka and Wakui," he said, vowing to make even greater strides in the future.