A "Sun"-like "Taiyo"

I first spoke with him on March 30th of this year during a practice game against Niigata University of Health and Welfare at Uozu Momoyama Stadium.

Before the game, after he had finished warming up and worked up a sweat, I happened to strike up a conversation with him as we passed each other in the walkway next to the stadium, and we ended up having a lively chat about how his birthday is on Valentine's Day.

Famous people born on Valentine's Day include Noriko Sakai, also known as Nori-P; Marcia, known for the song "Gomen ne, Ma-chan"; and Midori Ebina, the eldest daughter of the late Hayashiya Sanpei and wife of Ryuuta Mine. There are almost no famous men born on that day.

We chuckled together about how there don't seem to be any famous men born on Valentine's Day, and from then on, we became the kind of people who greet each other.

Although he was a new recruit, he was established as the shortstop. He batted 7th at the start of the season, but as his batting average rose, he moved to 5th, and eventually, he was fixed as the leadoff hitter.
He showed us time and again his ability to hit sharp balls to the opposite field (right field) by adjusting to pitches on the outer half, and he also drew many walks. The image of Sano as a player who consistently gets on base became firmly established in my mind.

He competed for the Japan Sea League batting title against his teammate Tatsuya Miyoshi, and although he narrowly finished 2nd in the league with a .336 batting average and an .821 OPS, he fully fulfilled his role as a leadoff hitter.

If I had to describe him in one word, it would be "earnest."

He always warms up calmly, throws the ball straight to his partner's chest during catch, and swings his bat silently. I have rarely seen him fooling around.

Even when I gave him a gift, he would look the person straight in the eye with his round, dark eyes, and in a loud voice,
"Thank you very much."
he would say, taking off his cap and bowing his head.

With five games left and not a single one to lose in the race for the league championship, he never let his guard down, even when leading by a large margin, and would shout out in front of the bench with his uniform covered in mud,
"We're definitely going to win!"

On September 14th, the final game of the season in Toyama, I happened to be alone with him in front of Alpen Stadium.

It was my routine during this time of year to ask the players I met whether they would stay with the team next year, move to another team, or retire and return home.

"Thank you for your support throughout this year," he said, bowing his head.
When I asked, "What about next year?"
he replied, "I'm going back home (to Shizuoka)."

"I heard there's a tryout for the local Kufu Hayate Ventures next month, why don't you give it a shot? It would be a waste to quit baseball."
"Hmm, I'm not sure what I'll do, but thank you very much," he said, bowing deeply once again.

I don't know how to express my current feelings, as they are a mix of surprise and joy, but he was selected by the Hanshin Tigers in the 5th round of the draft.
He is the first position player in the team's history to be selected in the main draft.

Congratulations, Taiyo Sano.I teared up along with you when I saw you crying like that, even though I was just watching in front of the TV.

However, as he himself must know best, there are still mountains of things he needs to work on. Defensive positioning, coordination with the second baseman, strategies for base stealing, and so on.

The bright, sun-like smile he showed us in Toyama, the performance of kissing his bat before entering the batter's box, and the way he faced every single pitch with sincerity.

As a Yokohama fan, I will secretly visit Amagasaki and Koshien to cheer for you, so please show us how much more you have grown.

And I hope you become the representative famous man born on Valentine's Day.

(All photos were taken by the author)