From Bullpen Catcher to Dream…First Japanese Major League Coach “Exclusive Disclosure: 3 World Series Winning Rings” Photo | FRIDAY DIGITAL

From Bullpen Catcher to Dream…First Japanese Major League Coach “Exclusive Disclosure: 3 World Series Winning Rings” Photo

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Uematsu, who has taken the ball from many top pitchers as a bullpen catcher

Shohei Ohtani became the first Asian to win the homerun crown and the second MVP of Major League Baseball this year, and there is another Japanese who deserves special mention. He is the first Japanese to serve as a full-time coach and has three World Series championship rings to his credit. Yasuyoshi Uematsu of the San Francisco Giants, the first full-time Japanese coach and owner of three World Series championship rings. 40 He was the first full-time Japanese coach and has three World Series championship rings. Following on from Part 1: “A Substitute in High School”, we would like to introduce the life story of Mr. Uematsu, who rose from a backstage bullpen catcher to a major league coach, as recounted by Mr. Uematsu himself.

As a bullpen catcher In 2008, Uematsu made it to the major leagues. Uematsu got his dream job in Major League Baseball in 2008. Working in the field of his dreams was an exciting experience.

The majors is the scenery I have dreamed of since I was a child, so I was filled with joy,” he said. If there was a night game, I would arrive at the stadium before noon, finish my training, and then go to the bullpen to take pitches from the pitchers. In addition to that, I was always available to the players, playing catch, helping with long throws, hitting pitches, helping the trainer, and many other things.

Uematsu was enjoying a fulfilling life, but after many years in the same job, he gradually began to have a change of heart. He was no longer sure how he wanted to pursue his career.

I wondered if I could remain a bullpen catcher.

In the minors in 2007. He was struggling in a tough environment, but still dreamed of making it to the majors (Uematsu is in the center).

I wondered if I should remain a backstage bullpen catcher for the rest of my career. However, I didn’t know what kind of path I could take if I had no track record as a player. At that time, my assistant coach at the time gave me a variety of coaching jobs.

Thanks to him, I was able to learn the job and began to think that I could coach as well. A few years later, when I had a new goal and felt I could coach, I went to then-coach Gabe Kapler and told him that I could contribute to the team and that I wanted to coach.

There are many people who coach in the minors for many years but fail to become coaches in the majors. However, Uematsu’s usual diligent work ethic was highly regarded within the team. After several discussions with the coach, ’22 After several discussions with the manager, it was decided that Uematsu would be promoted to assistant coach in 2010. There have been cases of former major league players, such as Hisashi Iwakuma, taking on part-time coaching assignments, but this is the first time a full-time position has been offered to a Japanese player.

A full-time coach always accompanies the team during the season. This year, the Giants have 10 This year, the Giants have more than 10 coaches, each of whom has a different role, such as head coach, assistant coach, and so on. My responsibilities are to assist the outfield defense coach and the base running coach, but my biggest job is to analyze the opposing team’s pitchers. The biggest part of my job is to analyze the opposing team’s pitchers to see if there are any habits that pitchers unconsciously have when they throw different types of pitches.

Sometimes he’s even a batting pitcher.

Even the world’s best major league pitchers have their own quirks when pitching, if you look for them.

Each pitcher has different habits. The position and angle of the glove in the set position differs depending on the type of pitch, and the number of times the pitcher kicks the mound with his feet differs. Some pitchers stick out their tongues when throwing certain types of pitches, and others blink differently. Even when they throw a tow pitch, they have slight quirks. There are cameras at the ballpark in various positions determined by the league, and all the videos taken of each pitch are in the database.

We analyze the pitcher from head to toe by looking at the video from angles that can be seen by the batter, and communicate this information to the batter in an easy-to-understand manner. Since the pitcher’s teammates are also analyzed by the opposing team, we also communicate this information to the pitcher himself. It is not enough to just tell the pitcher; some pitchers get confused and lose their condition. I am always thinking about how best to convey this information.

During TV broadcasts, for example, you may see Ohtani on the bench looking at a tablet device. That device is not connected to the Internet, but it contains a huge amount of data. Sometimes he looks at videos of opposing pitchers to check their habits, and other times he looks at videos of his own past at-bats and goes to bat.

Dismissed with three games left in the season

Giants coaches and staff who played the ’23 season (Uematsu is second from right).

Including minor league teams, the total number of players was The total number of players, including those in the minor leagues, was about 6,000. Including the minor leagues, a total of about 6,000 players compete against each other, and Major Leaguers play at the top of the competition. Many players aspire to play in the major leagues after playing in Japan’s professional baseball. What is the world of Major League Baseball as we know it?

In both the majors and minors, players are fired on a daily basis. If a player is deemed unusable, he is called to the manager’s office, and the GM will demote him to a lower league. If a player is deemed useless, he is called to the manager’s office and told by the GM that he will be demoted to a lower league. Depending on the contract, some players cannot do that either and are dismissed. This year, even Director Kapler was fired with three games left in the season. It’s a world where glamour and severity go hand in hand.”

It is a harsh world where there is no guarantee of tomorrow, but there are certain characteristics of players who have been active in the majors for many years.

Not only are they good at baseball, but they also have excellent human qualities. There are many young players who have the potential to play in the majors right away, but if they are judged as not having the right character, they will not be able to make it to the next level. That is why I have never seen a player who has played in the majors with a bad character.

It is because they are solid human beings that they are able to be at the forefront for a long time. There are players who compete regularly for the same position, but they all work hard to win the season, not to bare their competitive spirit. The relationship between the coach and players is not one-sided, but based on mutual respect. The higher the level, the more I feel this.

Total 165 When I broke my elbow as a bullpen catcher, Barry Zito, a star pitcher who won 165 games, referred me to a good hospital and even paid for my treatment. One thing I learned when I came to the U.S. is that if you don’t respect others, regardless of age or position, they won’t do the same for you.

Bullpen catcher’s role is to catch the pitcher’s balls between innings

Barry Bonds, who set the Giants record for home runs in the majors with his career, was reportedly a difficult person during his career. Barry Bonds, the Giants’ all-time leader in home runs, was sometimes reported to have a difficult personality during his playing days, and he is no exception.

I don’t know much about his playing days,” he said. I don’t know much about his playing days, but when I see him visiting as a coach to teach hitting, he is very attentive to the younger players. He is such an accomplished player, so I feel that the coaches are very appreciative of his mental guidance, such as how to think about what to do when batting.

There are some things that can be understood by those who have lived in the same environment. Uematsu has experience with Kosuke Fukudome and Munenori Kawasaki, who both played in the Majors, and when Yoshihisa Hirano of the Orix was with the Diamondbacks and Mariners, they were in the same grade and talked about many things over dinner.

The most number of Japanese winners of the World Series

Communication among coaches is also important to strengthen the team

Mr. Uematsu was a member of the Giants 16 He was a member of the Giants for 16 years and won three World Series championships. He has won three World Series titles in his 16 years with the Giants ( In ’10 ’10, ’12, ’13, and ’14, ’12, ’13, ’14, and ’15 ’14, ’15, ’16, and ’17, ’14 (2010, ’12, ’14), and has three championship rings. While there are many Major Leaguers who have never won a championship, this is the most for a Japanese player. Now that he has experienced the highest stage, what is his next goal?

My next goal is to become a base coach. I was given the opportunity to work as a first base coach during this year’s Open Tournament, and it became clear to me. In order to achieve this goal, I need to grow even more. If I don’t, I will only have two years of coaching experience and I don’t know when I will be demoted because it is a tough world.

Once I gain enough experience as a coach, it would be great if I could eventually make it to the majors. And if I get an offer from a Japanese professional baseball team after gaining enough experience in the U.S., I would like to become a manager of some team and pass on the baseball knowledge I gained in the majors to the younger generation. I would like to create a better baseball culture by combining the best aspects of Japanese and American baseball.

Uematsu has worked his way up from a reserve high school baseball player to a leader of a major league team. He has this message for the younger generation: “Goals are not something that can be achieved quickly.

It is natural to take detours and challenges as you go along. There will be hard times along the way, but I hope you will enjoy the process, envisioning what it will be like when you achieve your goals. If you work hard and take positive action, opportunities will surely come your way someday. When that time comes, please do your best to seize it.

Continuing to work tirelessly and taking advantage of the few opportunities that present themselves. What Mr. Uematsu has done since coming to the U.S. may be the shortcut to his dream.

Exclusive release! Uematsu is the only Japanese who owns three of these rings, which are only given to players and staff members of the team that wins the World Series.
  • Interview and text by Masayoshi Katayama

    Journalist

  • PHOTO Courtesy of Mr. Uematsu

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