Fukuoka (Japan)] “Many fans want to wear Softbank uniforms again.” Prior to the match, a ‘ceremonial pitch’ was held.메이저사이트

Lee Dae-ho led the Japan Series championship twice in 2014-2015 wearing a Softbank uniform. During his two years at Softbank, he participated in 285 games and recorded 314 hits, 50 homers, 166 RBIs, a batting average of 0.292 OPS and 0.858. In particular, in 2015, he wielded a fire bat in the Japan Series with the Yakult Swallows and was selected as the first Korean Japan Series MVP.

Softbank officially invited Lee Dae-ho to mark the 85th anniversary of the club’s founding and the 30th anniversary of the opening of the PayPay Dome. On the 27th, Lee Dae-ho intuitively witnessed Softbank’s victory when Yanagita Yuki, a close friend of his junior, got a walk-off hit at the end of the 12th inning, and pitched the first pitch prior to the game on the 28th.

Softbank welcomed Lee Dae-ho’s visit by producing a special video with the slogan “Dae-ho, Dae-ho” and the song “Orinalda” used in the KBO League. In addition, Akira Nakamura, who ate a bowl of rice during his active career, pitched Lee Dae-ho’s first pitch, and Yanagita, the ‘signboard’ of Softbank, stepped up to heat up the atmosphere. After the first pitch, Softbank fans gave Lee Dae-ho a warm round of applause.

The enthusiasm of the Japanese media for their first visit to Fukuoka in eight years was also hot. As Lee Dae-ho finished his first pitch and headed to his interview room, questions from the Japanese media started pouring in. The first question asked by the Japanese media was how he felt about meeting his former colleagues, including Yana Kita and Nakamura. Lee Dae-ho could not hide his smile at the growth of his former colleagues, such as Akira Nakamura and Yuki Yana Kita.

Nakamura, who joined Softbank through the draft in 2007 and made his debut in 2011, has been active as a main player all along, and Yanagita has gone beyond Softbank and established himself as a ‘signboard star’ representing Nippon Professional Baseball. In particular, when Lee Dae-ho visited the PayPay Dome on the 27th, Nakamura and Yanagita greeted him the most.

Lee Dae-ho said, “Yanagita, Kai (Takuya), and Nakamura were players I was with when I was young, but now I am a senior. It was so nice to see him,” he said with a hearty smile. “It was especially nice to see Yanagita leading the team well.”

How do you feel about meeting Yanagita after a long time? Lee Dae-ho said, “I still think of Yanagita as a mischievous junior. Although we talked for a short time, it was so nice to see him. When I asked ‘why did you grow your hair’ as a joke, it was really nice to hear that it was ‘Korean style’ and accepted it happily.” said.

Among the numerous questions, the most eye-catching one was ‘many Fukuoka fans want Lee Dae-ho to wear a Softbank uniform again’. In response, Lee Dae-ho made the reporters laugh with a witty answer, “I’m ready to build a body if Softbank makes an official request.”

The Japanese media also asked questions about the secret of foreign players’ success in Japanese professional baseball. In response, Lee Dae-ho said, “It will be really difficult. I can’t communicate with the language, and it’s hard to eat. And if I don’t get results, the stress is high. Japanese pitchers don’t throw things easily to get good results. Because of the desire to hit home runs and create RBIs, the swing has no choice but to grow. If we change this part, we will be able to compete well with Japanese players,” he said.

Lastly, Lee Dae-ho said, ‘Director Hiroshi Fujimoto really likes Korean dramas. When asked if he had any recommendations, he said “romantic doctor Master Kim” and then he said “romantic doctor Master Kim” again and ended the interview with a smile.