Seibu’s Hotaka Yamakawa has a plan! The press conference with all the members and his return to the first team with the number 33?
Hotaka Yamakawa, 31, an infielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions, was referred to prosecutors on May 23 on charges of forcible sexual intercourse with a woman. The team has begun to draw up a scenario in the event that the case is settled without prosecution.
Since the case came to light, Yamakawa has been removed from the first-team roster. He is currently training with the third team.
At the annual shareholders’ meeting of parent company Seibu Holdings held on June 21, a shareholder commented, “I think there was an aspect of being treated as a treat for becoming super-famous. I think we should consider dismissing him.
Team president Tsuyoshi Okumura apologized, saying, “It is truly regrettable that a player belonging to our team was sent to the police for questioning, and we apologize again. He said, “We will take appropriate measures to deal with the situation. We take this situation very seriously, and we will once again provide education and guidance to all players in order to regain trust. We apologize for any concern this may have caused.
He has not been able to play in any games for the second team, but he is physically able to move around. However, the baseball team cannot take any action unless the indictment or indictment is confirmed. The sponsors and the upper management of Seibu Holdings are furious from the standpoint of compliance, but the baseball team cannot simply let go of Yamakawa, who has won numerous batting titles.
It is said that the reason why they are letting him adjust at the third base even though he cannot play in games is so that he can return to the lineup in the shortest possible time when it becomes possible for him to return to the lineup. The team was in last place in the Pacific League after its main gun went out of the lineup early in the season opener. There are manywithinthe team who feel sympathy for new manager Kazuo Matsui (47 ).
There are reports that Yamakawa is refusing the woman’s exorbitant demand of 100 million yen as a settlement payment.
The impression is pretty bad, but it is difficult to prosecute a case based solely on one-sided evidence and testimony from the female victim, and it is increasingly believed that Yamakawa will ultimately end up being dropped from the case. However, since he has caused so much trouble for the baseball team, sponsors, and fans, he will have to be given a fair shake.
The team is said to be working behind the scenes to come up with a “purification plan” for Yamakawa.
First, Kazuo Matsui , GM Hisanobu Watanabe, team president Okumura, and Yamakawa will hold a press conference to apologize for the incident. He said he could not discuss any details of the settlement and simply apologized for his lack of awareness as a professional baseball player. He will then return Yamakawa’s number to “33,” the number he wore when he joined Seibu and at the World Baseball Classic, where he won the world championship in March of this year. This is the best way to appeal for a fresh start and a fresh start.
There is another reason why the baseball team wants to keep Yamakawa besides his purely competitive value.
Yamakawa is the only other star player who is known by fans of other teams. Yamakawa is a regular at the top of the merchandise sales list, and his fan service has been well received. His fan service was also well received. He is indispensable in terms of entertainment and sales. If Yamakawa can be brought back to Seibu through the Misi Plan, the team believes that he may be more willing to participate in promotional activities, which he has been reluctant to do until now, and may even stick to his ‘Seibu for life’ policy.
Will the day come when this secretive scenario becomes a reality?
Photo: Kyodo News