Next year, too, “Destasha”! DeNA’s Shugo Maki, who has grown into the No. 4 pitcher in Samurai Japan, explains why he is convinced that “I will shout from the front row of the bench.

Keep your voice up even if you are mediocre.
Reflection comes when he’s back in his room and alone.

Even in his uniform, Maki’s thick chest and thick arms like giant trees are evident.

Shugo Maki, 25, of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, appeared at the interview site, and at 178 cm tall, he is not a large man for a professional baseball player, but he exudes strength.

I feel responsible, but I am happy. I want to achieve results because I’m going to do this.

Maki says this because he has been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of playing the No. 4 position in the Samurai Japan team. Kazuhiro Ibata, the manager of the Japan national baseball team, has named Maki as his main gun. This season, Maki has won the batting title and the most hits title, and has a .293 batting average, 29 home runs, and 103 runs batted in, a record befitting the No. 4 position in the Japan team.

I am not satisfied with this. I want to be able to hit at the right opportunities, score more runs, and win the title again next season.

The following is a brief history of Maki’s development into one of Japan’s leading hitters.

Maki began playing baseball in the first grade of elementary school. One of his most vivid memories as a child was taking hitting practice with a net set up in the yard of his grandfather’s house in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture.

My parents were both working,” he said. So I would go to my grandfather’s house nearby, who had experience in baseball, and practice. I am still close with my grandfather. When I was having trouble with hitting, I would call my grandfather. He told me, ‘Don’t hesitate to take the plunge,’ and that blew away the foggy feeling I had.