On 15 March, a retirement match was held for pitcher Takeshi Wada, who retired after last season. He started the game that day and threw four pitches to Kotaro Kiyomiya to end the final mound of the game, striking out struck out strikeouts.

At the retirement ceremony after the match, a retrospective video was played with video messages from The Giants coach SUGIUCHI Toshiya and MATSUZAKA Daisuke, Hanshin Tigers coach FUJIKAWA Yuji, and Waseda University coach NOMURA Toru. After that, Chairman Sadaharu Oh, director Yuki Kokubo, CBO Kenji Jojima, Yusuke Tominaga who sang the song in the film, his daughter, his wife, and his parents presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

Next, pitcher Wada gave a greeting. Below is the full text of the greeting.

"The time has finally come. I don't feel like it, and I really feel that this day has finally arrived. It's been four months since I gave my retirement press conference, and during that time I wondered if I would want to come back or throw again, but thankfully it didn't happen at all (laughs). I felt that I had really done it. I really felt that I had been able to live my life for 22 years baseball.

When I was little, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, and I played baseball with such a big dream. I thought to myself that such a dream was a dream of a dream, and I was doing it while making assumptions. However, I met a lot of people who made me a professional baseball player.

To all of my high school and college classmates, thank you so much for coming today. It is no exaggeration to say that if I hadn't met them, I wouldn't be where I am today. Meeting them was truly wonderful. And we became friends that we can stay with for the rest of our lives. Thank you so much.

And everyone from the Matsuzaka generation. Finally, I was able to reach the finish line. But there's still one more person. A classmate named Yasutomo Kubo is still working hard. Actually, I'm not the last one, so I'd like to support Kubo as hard as I can from now on.

And all the managers and coaches from the amateur era. Thank you for laying the foundation for me. He laid the foundation for me before I became a professional, and I think that is why I was able to play professionally for 22 years. Thank you very much.

Chairman Wang and all the directors and coaches who have been involved so far. Thank you very much for using me and allowing me to throw it. And especially after 2019, after a shoulder injury, I had to worry a lot about pitch spacing, pitch count, etc., and I was really sorry. Thanks to this, I was able to throw until I was 43 years old, and I almost broke the club record of The Hawks. Thank you very much.

And the trainers. I'm really sorry for being selfish. I think it was a really difficult needle treatment, stretching, and I think I was scratching my head. Even so, he didn't make a bad face and faced himself. And when I had a shoulder injury in 2018, I worked with him and seriously considered treatment. I am where I am today because of them. Thank you very much.

Sorry it's a bit long. Excuse me.

And the staff of the baseball team. Thank you very much for always worrying with the players, thinking about them, and fighting with them. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the staff and everyone behind the scenes when I won the championship was the happiest moment for me. Thank you very much.

And the players. I think there are many things such as joy, frustration, and fun in the game. You can only get that kind of emotion in a game. I'm sure you're not full yet. I hope you will continue to taste many more in the future. And one day, become a player that will be loved and targeted by many baseball boys, fans. Thank you very much for all the memories.

And parents. Thank you so much for giving birth to a body that can compete in professional baseball for 22 years. I've been to Fukuoka a lot, haven't I? Well, the cost wasn't stupid, but when I saw the two of them happily talking about the results of the match, I thought that I was able to be a little filial. I hope the two of you will still get along well and stay healthy. Thank you.

And to my daughter. For as long as I can remember, I've been in the baseball world for a long time, and I've been lonely. However, I am really grateful that they never showed such a lonely appearance in front of me, and that they always supported me as my number one cheerleader. She was really kind, patient, considerate of others, and became a wonderful woman. Thank you so much.

And the growth of such a daughter and the wife who cut time for herself. Kasumi (Kasumi Nakane) is also retiring (laughs). Congratulations. She really took time out of her way and was always there for me when I was anxious or had a hard time. Thank you so much.

From now on, I would like to spend all my time for my daughter and myself, as a family, and sometimes just the two of us, and do things together that we couldn't do before or that we wanted to do. Thank you for your continued support.

And finally, the world's best The Hawks fans. Thank you for always cheering me on when I was good or bad. When I came back from a shoulder injury in 2019 and received a wonderful cheer, I received a cheer that I will never forget. And today, I received a cheer that I will never forget. Thank you very much.

It wasn't the last. Excuse me.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people involved in the baseball team who made a lot of preparations for this retirement ceremony. And in the midst of important adjustments, everyone at Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters who accompanied me on my pitch. And to the The Fighters fans who cheered us on in the left stands. Thank you very much.

I don't know if it's a scene like this at least once. I've always longed to be standing in the middle of this and being in the spotlight like this, so another dream has come true. Thank you very much.

And this is the real end. baseball boys who want to become professional baseball players. And the children who are about to start baseball. Fukuoka is a good place. The food is delicious and the people are warm. If you look at this stand, you'll understand. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks team is a group of people who are competitive, and the chosen ones who win the competition are going to fight. I myself have worked hard for 22 years, watching the backs of my seniors and struggling desperately to be pushed by my juniors.

I would like to make it my new dream to see baseball boys and children who want to become professional baseball players one day join The Hawks, compete, and play an active role. Thank you so much for 22 years."

After the greeting, he shook hands with the manager, coaches, and teammates and went around the stadium. At the end, his teammates, Kiyomiya, former The Hawks players Shun Mizutani, Kengo Yoshida, and Seigi Tanaka pitcher danced in the air on the mound nine times.

◇Takeshi Wada pitcher NPB Stats
334 games, 160 wins, 89 losses, 3 hold, 1901 strike out, ERA 3.18, .643 winning percentage, 1.14 WHIP

◇Takeshi Wada's NPB record for pitcher
Best Newcomer 2003
Most Valuable Player 2010
Best Nine 2010
Most wins: 2010, 2016
Highest win percentage: 2016
1500 strike out 27 August 2017 Chiba Lotte
150 wins September 30, 2022 Tohoku Rakuten
2000 innings pitched 24 May 2023 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham

Written by Ryohei Tokaibayashi

・ Takeshi Wada Player Directory