DeNA’s Yoshitomo Tsutsugo Confesses that Adversity Always Strengthens Him
After experiencing life at the bottom of the heap in the U.S. minor leagues, Yoshitomo Tsutsuka returned to DeNA after a five-year absence. He returned to DeNA after five years in the U.S. and hit a home run that brought tears to Hamasuta!
“I think I was at a hotel in Arizona doing training. It was a short call, about 15 seconds, but it was typical of Manager Miura, like ‘Hey, come back. See you soon,’ he said. DeNA has been looking after me since I went to the U.S. I couldn’t organize my thoughts after leaving the Giants, but Manager Miura’s words gave me high motivation to aim for victory again in Yokohama.”
Returning to his former team after five years, Tsutsugo began using his experiences in the U.S. to encourage younger players. After making an error in the May 8th game against Yakult, he advised rookie draft pick Ryuki Watarai, saying, “It’s a waste to dwell on mistakes. Even Ichiro-san makes errors.”
“I’m just passing on what I’ve learned. Personally, since returning to Japan, I’m still not quite in my groove. I’m grappling with differences between Japanese and American pitchers, like their pitching distance and ball quality. However, adversity has always made me stronger. I believe that overcoming challenges will inevitably make me a better baseball player.”
In the brochure introducing the new stadium built in his hometown of Hashimoto City, which he financed with approximately 200 million yen last August, Tsutsugo wrote:
“Failure is proof that you have attempted something. Only those who challenge are given the opportunity to achieve success.”
From the June 21, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： Hiroyuki Komatsu
