How Keio High’s Baseball Team Won Koshien with the Power of Delegation

Last summer, Keio High School’s baseball team achieved their first Koshien championship in 107 years. Their victory, under the banner of “Enjoy Baseball,” became a social phenomenon and simultaneously called into question the traditional concept of high school baseball. Hiroshi Kato, an editor at Hochi News and author of “Suna Mamire no Meishou – Nomura Katsuya’s 1140 Days,” closely followed Keio High School and published “Keio High School Baseball Team – The Power of ‘Delegation’ that Nurtures People” (Shinchosha). Having covered high school baseball for over 20 years, Kato shares why he chose to focus on Keio High School and offers insights into the depth of their remarkable run. Below are Kato’s comments.

– What was the catalyst for starting coverage of Keio High School?

“It was when Keio’s participation in the 2023 spring selection tournament was decided. After years of desk work, my first field assignment in nine years was covering Keio High. I was particularly interested in Kazuhiro Kiyohara’s son, Katsuji. During this time, the captain, Omura Haozumi (Sorato), said, ‘I want to change the old traditions of high school baseball and overturn common sense. I want to win the national championship to achieve that.’ However, considering the public reaction, I felt the statement was too strong and couldn’t write about it at the time. Deep down, I also had this feeling of ‘This is probably going to fail.’ I had made up my mind not to write about it for reasons I created in my head. That internal conflict became the turning point for diving deeper into the coverage.”

– After 20 years of covering high school baseball, do you think the image of the sport had become solidified?

“About 20 years ago, it was a daily sight to see coaches constantly yelling during games. I thought to myself, ‘Is this fun?’ but at the same time, I subtly thought, ‘This is just what high school baseball is.’ However, Keio High School had a different direction. After I started covering them, my own perspective began to change.”

 

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-What factors contributed to the difference from traditional high school baseball?

“I think Takahiko Mori’s approach, who became the head coach of Keio High School’s baseball team in 2015, had a significant impact. Mori expressed his concern that traditional baseball-type talent will be replaced by AI. He said that you do what you’re told, greet properly, but don’t create anything new. This is no longer the era for that. He often spoke about the major crisis in the baseball world due to the declining number of participants. I deeply resonated with that. So, what is necessary? It’s to play baseball while constantly thinking. The management needed for that is delegating, which fosters people. I believe that the history of pursuing this and passing it on over the years led to the result of winning Koshien.”

-What do you see as the essence of “delegated baseball”?

“Contrary to the image of ‘Enjoy Baseball,’ Keio’s practice is tough. What makes it tough is the need to find a rationale for each play. Sometimes, the practice stops, and the players have to explain why they chose that play. Training to instantly judge the optimal solution is tough. However, it’s not Mori or Kohki Akamatsu, the head coach, who makes the decisions; it’s the student coaches who take the lead in making judgments. The student coaches are students from Keio University, a unique system, and they have a lot of authority. They are deeply involved in selecting the major (regular) and minor (backup) players. Also, it’s striking that there is no unnecessary shouting. The coach delegates to the student coaches, which is one of Keio High School’s characteristics.”

-While the word delegate seems simple, it is a difficult concept to put into practice.

“It’s a principle that applies not only in baseball but also in the business world. I’ve applied it when interacting with junior reporters, and by delegating, some of them shine and work hard. This is the key to building a vibrant organization. However, finding the right balance is very difficult, and I’m still experimenting (laughs). Mori’s attitude of witnessing growth isn’t just that of one coach; he was always looking ahead, rather than focusing on immediate victories. However, to have influence, you still need to win. In that sense, I feel that he achieved something that broke through the stagnation in Japanese society and the sports world.”