<figure id="attachment_340394" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-340394" style="width: 2016px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="305acc50"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/11/65ef5e9544ae3579cc3f522e56de3ce9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340394" class="wp-caption-text">Ono (bottom center) listens to the verdict with a mysterious expression on his face.</figcaption></figure>
<p> The defendant&#8217;s appearance in the courtroom was a drastic change from his flamboyant and smart days in active service.</p>
<p> His belly and buttocks had become fleshy, and his black jacket and white shirt gave the impression of being puffy. The expression on his face, which could be seen through his mask, was somewhat dull, and his eyes lacked strength.</p>
<p> On November 1, at 1:20 p.m. in Courtroom 505 of the Yokohama District Court, the sentencing hearing for Hitoshi Ono, 47, an unemployed defendant accused of theft, was held. He is alleged to have stolen seven bottles of whiskey (worth about 35,000 yen) from a supermarket in Yokohama in May of this year. Ono is a former professional baseball player who once took the Koshien baseball team by storm and was drafted second overall by the Giants.</p>
<p><strong> He was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, without probation. Ono had been arrested twice before, and this time he was found to be habitual offender while on probation. Until he was sentenced, Ono sat beside his lawyer and kept his eyes closed.</strong></p>
<p> FRIDAY Digital&#8221; reported in detail on Ono&#8217;s second arrest in an article distributed on February 13, 2010. We would like to recount the whole story of Ono&#8217;s rough life and the theft of hundreds of bottles of sake (some of the contents have been revised).</p>
<h2> The shivering interior that took the investigators&#8217; breath away</h2>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> When investigators entered the apartment, they could not help but gasp.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> In the cramped one-bedroom apartment, there were liquor, liquor, liquor&#8230;&#8230; that were placed haphazardly and unpacked. All of them were high-class liquors such as &#8220;Yoichi,&#8221; &#8220;Chita,&#8221; and &#8220;Seabass Regal&#8221; whiskey. The number of bottles amounted to 400.</span></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> On February 7, 2010, Akita Chuo Police re-arrested Ono for stealing whiskey from a mass merchandiser in Chiba City. Ono had just been arrested and charged in January 2010 for stealing 11 bottles of champagne (worth approximately 82,000 yen) in Akita City in November 2009. This time, he is suspected of stealing eight bottles of whiskey (worth approximately 54,000 yen) that were on display.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1"> When investigators searched Ono&#8217;s apartment, they found a large quantity of unopened bottles of liquor. Moreover, they were high-class liquors such as champagne. Usually when we raid the house of a defendant who has stolen liquor, the smell of alcohol fills the air and empty bottles are found lying around. However, all 400 bottles stolen this time were unopened.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1"> Upon investigation, the defendant Ono admitted to the crime, saying of the 400 bottles of fine sake, &#8216;There is no doubt that I stole them. It is believed that he had been stealing outside of Akita and Chiba as well. The police are further investigating.</span></strong></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" In desperation, he divorced his wife and ......"></div>
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<p class="p3"><span class="s1">Ono is an elite baseball player. In his sophomore year at Akita Keio University High School, he participated in the Koshien National Championships in consecutive spring and summer seasons as the ace of the team. In 1994, he became the first high school student to represent Japan in the World Championships. After graduating from high school, he joined Nippon Oil Corporation, where he won the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In the same year, he was drafted by the Giants with the second overall pick.</span></p>
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<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1"> With a straight line of nearly 150 km/h from his left arm, he posted a 5-1 record and a 1.88 earned-run average in his first year with the second team. In May of his second year, he struck out 20 batters in a game against Lotte and won the titles of Most Wins and Best Defensive Ratio twice.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1"> However, he has not been good at all in the first team. The reason for his poor performance is the yips. Once I give up a for-ball, I can&#8217;t stop.&#8217; In 2002, he moved to the Kintetsu baseball team, and the following year he was removed from the lineup. He was called the &#8220;King of the Second Army&#8221; by fans.</span></strong></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> After his dismissal, he continued to play minor league baseball in the U.S. He tried out for the American League in November 2005, but no team was interested in him. When the road to a return to the pros was closed, he became desperate, and his relationship with his wife became strained and they divorced. After that, he moved from one job to another, including carrying fish at a market in Yokohama, delivering bread, and serving customers at a yakitori restaurant. He also worked as a waiter at a yakitori restaurant and once worked in a cabaret club as a blackclothes waitress.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> In the fall of &#8221;</span><strong><span class="s1"> In the fall of 2006, he quit a health equipment manufacturer he had joined through an acquaintance, a former professional baseball player, and became unemployed. It is believed that around that time, he began to engage in theft of high-class liquor.</span><span class="s1"> He is believed to have begun to engage in theft of high-end liquor around that time.</span></strong></p>
<p class="p3"> In court, Ono revealed his weakness, saying, &#8220;When I have money, I tend to gamble. He will now have to face up to the crimes he committed.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" A drastic change from his current life...Ono&#39;s &quot;Surprisingly true face during his active career&quot; photo"></div>
<figure id="attachment_340388" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-340388" style="width: 2284px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a1dec371"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/11/f13557e6c8d832f04fc85ff2e1845f80.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340388" class="wp-caption-text">Ono, who was an ace in his second year at Akita Keiho University, participated in the Koshien National High School Baseball Tournament in consecutive spring and summer seasons (Image: Katsuro Okazawa/Afro)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_229380" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-229380" style="width: 884px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1a20f317"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/1996112100057.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-229380" class="wp-caption-text"> Ono (right) went to the Giants with the second pick in the draft. On the left is Tsuyoshi Kawamura, also a member of the Nippon Oil Corporation, who was drafted first overall by Yokohama (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_229381" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-229381" style="width: 679px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="dd950d82"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/2001022000110.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-229381" class="wp-caption-text"> Ono, a member of the Giants, failed to produce any results in the first team (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_339172" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-339172" style="width: 1386px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="57e64dc7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/10/e562f1d3dc6e43f8f9dbd68d38acce2a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-339172" class="wp-caption-text"> He also participated in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_340392" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-340392" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d3b4c19d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/11/fffeb8b062eef3df7187731657e1d42b.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340392" class="wp-caption-text"> About 400 bottles of high-grade sake seized from Ono&#8217;s home (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
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 Katsuro Okazawa/Afro

 Hitoshi Ono, a former Giants pitcher and silver medalist, was found guilty. From his apartment in Yokohama City, 400 bottles of luxury sake, which he is believed to have stolen, were found. Why did the baseball elite fall from grace? We would like to introduce his life after his retirement.

A drastic change from his playing days..! Ex-Giant Dora 2 pitcher convicted of “stealing 400 bottles of high-grade sake” in court.

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