Seiya Suzuki, who was heartbroken when he had to pull out of the WBC, is still “not worried about this season” because of his loving wife’s amazing devotion to him.

I’m really frustrated,” she said. I’ve been working on it for a long time, so I’ve been working on ……. I was looking forward to playing on the Japanese team, so I am very shocked.”

Seiya Suzuki, 28, of the Cubs, spoke to the press on March 1 (Japan time) in the U.S. state of Arizona, where the Cubs’ training camp is located, and expressed his disappointment. Suzuki felt discomfort in his left side during pre-game hitting practice on February 26. He was expected to be a center fielder for the WBC Samurai Japan team, but he regretfully had to withdraw from the team.

He was expected to play center fielder for the WBC Samurai Japan team, but he regrettably withdrew from the tournament. The WBC will be important for Suzuki, but it will also be important for him to recover from his injury before the Majors begin on March 31. I think it was a difficult decision for him to withdraw from the Samurai Japan team.

With wives of Japanese major leaguers: ……

Suzuki’s season has begun to look bleak, but those around him are surprisingly positive.

His loving wife, Airi Hatakeyama, is a big reason. Seiya must be mentally down right now, but he will recover quickly with her support.

The two married in August 2007. Airi is an athlete who competed in two Olympic Games in London and Rio as a member of rhythmic gymnastics team Fairy Japan. Since her retirement, she has also worked as a model and sportscaster.

Seiya’s decision to try out for the major leagues was probably influenced by Airi. I heard that he became clearly aware of it during the “Premier 12″ in 2007. He married Airi, a rhythmic gymnast with a wealth of experience living overseas, and Seiya himself became more motivated as he had more opportunities to compete on the world stage with the Samurai Japan team. His desire to become a larger-scale player became stronger,” said a sports journalist.

Airi is dedicated to supporting Suzuki’s challenge to play in the major leagues. She began to receive advice from the wives of Japanese major leaguers.

I had a chance to meet Mio Matsui, the wife of Kazuo Matsui, the manager of Seibu, on the radio, and we hit it off. She is an excellent cook, and she gives me advice on recipes and her experiences in the major leagues. She also interacts on SNS with Sachi, wife of Nobuchika Aoki of the Yakult baseball team and former TV Tokyo announcer, and Saho, wife of Kenta Maeda, a senior pitcher in the Carp and pitcher for the Twins. They must be serious about supporting their husbands,” she said.

Ms. Airi not only takes advice, but also makes positive moves on her own.

She has been “relearning English and learning to cook. She also studied kimono dressing and ceramics intensively in order to introduce Japanese culture in the United States. Perhaps because he has played many games overseas as an athlete, he is very good at controlling his mentality. He is a really reliable partner for Seiya.

Although the withdrawal from the WBC is a blow to Samurai Japan, there is no problem with Airi. As long as he recovers from his injury, Suzuki should be able to do even better this season than he did last season.