Yasuaki Yamazaki of the Yokohama BayStars: Scoop of him living together in a luxurious house, with his parents’ approval!
Tearful declaration of "lifelong commitment to the BayStars," with his dream of challenging for the Major Leagues under wraps.
One day in November, a convertible Mercedes Benz parked in front of the mansion started moving. At the wheel was Yasuaki Yamazaki, 30, of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
The guardian god of Hama had been using this California-style resort as a base to train for next season’s championship. …… Sitting in the passenger seat is not a trainer or teammate, but a beautiful woman.
In the back seat sits a beautiful woman resembling popular Korean actress Ko Hyun-jung and a middle-aged man with a gray head. What is this?
The beautiful woman in the back seat is Ms. M, Mr. Yamazaki’s girlfriend. She is from Fukuoka and is three or four years older than Mr. Yamazaki. The people riding in the Mercedes together must be her parents.
After leaving the mansion, the Mercedes-Benz drove smoothly along a spacious road to a soba noodle restaurant. The half pants worn by the middle-aged man, who must have borrowed Yamazaki’s personal belongings, had his number “19” printed on them.
After that day, the beauty queen and the middle-aged man were no longer seen together, but Mr. M continued to stay at the mansion.
She delivered a cap and jacket to Yamazaki on his way to a training session, swept the front of the mansion in her loungewear, received a parcel delivery with no face, and went shopping in his Porsche at the supermarket. She was the guardian goddess of the mansion, or rather, a wife herself.
On November 27, when we caught up with M when she returned home, Yamazaki took her back to the mansion and invited the reporter to a nearby park.
Yamazaki : “ We get along well. We go for drives together, but we don’t live together. I have other houses, and …… this is my mother’s house.”
–M.: You’ve been here for a long time.
Yamazaki: “ All sorts of people come and go here. My friends’ families come here, too.”
–I thought you and Mr. M were going to the U.S., since you had publicly announced your intention to challenge the Majors this off-season.
Yamazaki : “ Of course, my dream of becoming the world’s No. 1 closer has not changed. But I was worried about it until the very last minute, and now all I want to do is play for Yokohama and win a championship.
My girlfriend and I are good friends, but we haven’t gotten married yet. …… To be honest, I want to protect everyone around me, including my family and friends, because I am the guardian god (laughs).
(Laughs.) — Did your mother’s passing have an influence on why you have been out of shape for the past few years?
Yamazaki : “ Yes, …… my heart was in pain. I loved her the most, and I still love her the most. It was very painful to see the people who supported me so closely suffering every day.
Even in such a situation, I have to do my job. I’m a professional, and I don’t mean that in a heartless way. Even though I was in bad shape, I kept on throwing, hoping that my mother would get better. I built this house as my last filial duty.
Please be gentle with me. I buy and read Friday’s a lot!”
Yamazaki will be the guardian deity of her precious “mother’s house,” and she will protect it well.
More information about Ms. M and the secret story Yamazaki revealed about the construction of “Mother’s House” will be revealed in the December 1 issue of Friday!
Click here for a two-shot photo of the two of them and the full interview with Yamazaki.
PHOTO： Shu Nishihara, Kojiro Yamada (4th photo)
