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.”
– What is the unique culture of Keio High School?
“The introduction of the recommendation system in 2003 marked a turning point. After that, there were internal students, general admission students, and recommendation students, all of whom became part of the school. In the baseball team, about 40% are internal students, 30% are general students, and 20-30% are from the recommendation system. Recommendation students come from top senior and boys teams across the country. However, unlike other schools, there are cases where recommendation students fail the entrance exams. A minimum grade of 3.8 average is required. The baseball team’s interests don’t directly affect this. The recommendation system has about 40 spots across different fields, not just sports, so there’s some variation in strength from year to year. What’s interesting is that the recommendation group doesn’t necessarily dominate the regular lineup.”
– In the summer of 2024, the team reached the top 16, and in the autumn tournament, they were eliminated in the top 8. With the variation in strength in the competitive Kanagawa region, could this variation be a disadvantage in their pursuit of Koshien?
“The general admission students have a strong will because they’ve passed the most difficult private schools in the Tokyo area. The internal students have grown up with a unique culture. The recommendation is that students have their own pride in baseball. When these three distinct groups come together, the chemistry they create can make for a powerful team. 2023 was just such a team. Throughout my reporting, many people said that the previous year’s team had more talented players and more power. However, the key difference in the 2023 team was that they had closer communication with Coach Mori.
When I asked who the key players were, the names of Katsuji Kiyohara, Kiyohara’s son, and Kento Hayashi, the coach’s son, came up. Katsuji wasn’t a regular in his last summer, and Kenjin didn’t even make the bench. The fact that these two were named shows that every individual had their role in the team, and the chemistry made the team stronger. In fact, as the team advanced through the tournament, they kept improving, and by the final against Sendai Ikuei, they were at their strongest.”
The Prince says, I want to open a jazz bar in my old age.
– As a reporter who has followed the “KK generation,” did you have any special emotions when covering Katsuji Kiyohara?
“I’ve admired the KK duo since I was little, and after joining Hochi (newspaper), I had the opportunity to cover Masumi Kuwata when I was assigned to the Giants. Probably, I’m the only reporter who has covered all of them — Shogo, Katsuji, Maki, and Matt (laughs). I feel blessed. From my perspective, Katsuji resembled his father in many ways. He was the mood maker, and his approach to baseball was similar. His teammates all said that ‘Katsuji’s presence brought media attention, and his attitude towards baseball had a positive influence on everyone.’
Shogo, on the other hand, inherited his mother’s sense of elegance and sociability. He has a bright personality and a strong star presence. It’s truly remarkable that after a six-year break, he became the fourth batter for the Tokyo Big Six University Baseball League. His challenge was made possible by the Keio culture. His mental toughness and ability to control his mindset in following the path he believed in are incredible. He was unfortunately not drafted, but as a reporter, I honestly wish I could see more of his baseball career.”
– What was the most surprising aspect when covering Keio High School’s baseball team?
“I interviewed 21 people involved with the team, and the common thread among them was how interesting their stories were. To put it simply, their ability to verbalize was extremely high. They even read business magazines and engaged in discussions as a team as part of their training. Regarding Katsuji, usually, when there is a player who attracts so much attention, the people around them tend to get anxious. But the team members are so capable of thinking and speaking thoughtfully that there was never any special treatment for him. The same goes for Maruta, who was referred to as ‘Keio’s Prince.’ When I asked about his future dream, he casually said, ‘I want to open a jazz bar when I’m older’ (laughs).”
– Finally, what aspects of Keio High School’s baseball team will you be focusing on in the future?
“It may be difficult for them to make it to Koshien every year in the highly competitive Kanagawa area. However, I expect another talented team to emerge, and I’m optimistic that they will accomplish something amazing. In the course of my interviews, there wasn’t a single leader who said, ‘We will follow in the footsteps of past examples.’ I think this will continue going forward.
In my 20s, I used to write with the goal of producing ‘catchy articles.’ I had a victory-first mindset. But after covering Keio High School, I was deeply influenced by their attitude toward learning and their process. Now, I want to stay close to the players, get closer to their true feelings, and understand their essence. As long as my physical strength holds up, I want to continue my fieldwork as a reporter.”
You can read more about “Keio High School Baseball Team” – “The Power of Delegating” That Nurtures People here!
Reporting and writing： Fumiaki Kurioka
