The “state guest” security system was set up… Samurai Japan’s Shohei Otani and Yu Darvish showed up at “Tokyo Station” and the crowd went wild!

Around 2:00 p.m. on August 8, a large number of police officers wearing yellow megaphones around their necks were mobilized at the Nihonbashi exit of Tokyo Station to provide traffic security. The people on the street must have thought at first that they were guarding a high-ranking dignitary. One of the station users who was present at the scene said, “There was a policewoman operating the signal, too.

One of the station users who was present at the scene said, “There was a policewoman operating the signal, so at first I thought it might be the imperial family guarding the station.　I thought it might be the imperial family. But the policemen’s expressions seemed somehow relaxed, and some of them were smiling and conversing with each other. After a while, large men in suits appeared, and I heard voices around me saying, “Otani-san! The policemen who saw the players off on the bus didn’t wave at us, but they all had smiles on their faces (laughs),” said a station passenger who was there.

(station user who was present at the scene). Even the police officers on guard duty were smiling. The players will play their first game on April 9.

The players traveled from Osaka to Tokyo on the Shinkansen bullet train to play their first game against China on March 9. Shohei Otani (28) and Yu Darvish (36) were dressed in matching suits and ties when they stepped off the bullet train at 2:30 pm. Despite the loud cheers from the crowd, their expressions were both stern and tight.

On August 9, Samurai Japan got off to a good start in the first round of the WBC, winning their first game against China 8-1 to become the world’s number one team for the first time in three tournaments. Shohei Ohtani (28), the starter, threw 49 pitches in four innings, allowing no runs and one hit, striking out five and reaching a top speed of 160 km/h. He pitched as well as he has all season. He also hit four times, giving up two hits and two runs, including the team’s first timely double in the 4th inning. He performed as expected.

At the post-game press conference on January 9, manager Hideki Kuriyama (61) mentioned that Darvish had been a member of Nippon Ham, the team he had managed since 2012, until 2011, and that the two had been swapped.

He said, “I told him that I would leave all personal things behind, but I talked with him when I went to the Fighters 12 years ago. I said I wanted to write the name Yu Darvish on the order, but I can do that tomorrow. I think he will show all his feelings on the mound. This is a very important game for me personally, so I want to do my best to win.

He also expressed his expectations for Darvish. However, Darvish was perfect through the first two innings, but surrendered three runs in the third inning, including a two-run homer to lead off the inning. Although he was unable to get into his stride, the team won its second straight game with a complete game victory. Japan’s starting pitchers are Otani, Darvish, Orix’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto (24), and Lotte’s Akinori Sasaki (21). These four pillars will be the core of Japan’s pitching staff, and there is no doubt that Otani and Darvish will lead Japan to the No. 1 position in the world. Everyone is in no doubt that they will lead Japan to the top of the world.