Former Giant Michihiro Ogasawara: “There are more important things than winning” – Thoughts as GM of a baseball team for the physically challenged

I want to contribute to baseball for the handicapped as a GM.

He catches the ball with the glove on his right hand. He immediately took off the glove, picked up the ball with his right hand, and threw a strike to the catcher.

The players of the “Chiba Dream Stars,” a baseball team for the physically challenged, are showing off their brilliant play. The players enjoy playing baseball despite their great disabilities, including the loss of one arm in an accident and a wheelchair due to an illness.

The players make amazing plays that amaze me,” he said. Even though their movements are restricted by their disabilities, they think about how they should use their bodies. Normally, you can’t easily catch a strong ball hit by an able-bodied player.

Michihiro Ogasawara, 51, the team’s GM, said with a knocking bat in his hand. Nicknamed “Mr. Full Swing” during his playing days, Ogasawara recorded 2,120 hits and 378 home runs in his professional career. During his seven years with the Giants, he helped lead the team to two Japan championships and five league titles (Ogasawara comments below).

Until last year, I was not able to visit the Giants because of my coaching duties. This year, after retiring, is a fresh start for me, and I hope to contribute to baseball for the handicapped as GM.

The Dream of “Mr. Full Swing

How did Mr. Ogasawara, one of the best sluggers in baseball, become involved in baseball for the handicapped? The story goes back to the off-season of 2008, 16 years before he was active in the game.

As part of a TV program, I observed a practice session of the Kobe Cosmos, a team for the handicapped in Hyogo Prefecture. Everyone’s eyes lit up and they were so single-minded. …… I was very moved. I have an acquaintance who is physically disabled, and I had always wanted to contribute to the disabled through baseball.

Mr. Ogasawara also looked for a team in his hometown of Chiba to support baseball for the handicapped, but could not find one. So he discussed the idea with friends. In 2009, the Ichikawa Dream Star, the predecessor of the Chiba Dream Star, was established.

In the beginning, there were only two or three members, some of whom had no experience. Baseball players from Tokyo and other cities came to support us and taught us how to throw a ball, hold a bat, etc. from the very beginning. The staff handed out flyers in the city and recruited on the Internet, and the number of players gradually increased.

The number of participants increased, even from outside of Ichikawa, and in 2008 the team changed its name to “Chiba Dream Star. Currently, the team has about 30 players ranging in age from their teens to their fifties. This November, for the first time in two years, the team participated in the All-Japan Championship, which is open to the seven winning teams from all over Japan.

Many of the players on the team have acquired disabilities as a result of accidents or other causes. Suddenly, they can no longer lead the ‘normal life’ they have led up to now. I hear that there are cases where they become despairing and their hearts become blocked. I want baseball to brighten the lives of these people. There are many things more important than winning in baseball for the disabled. I want them to enjoy playing baseball and make their lives worth living.

Ogasawara has a dream.

There are currently only 38 handicapped baseball teams in Japan. Eventually, we would like to have teams in each of the 47 prefectures and hold a national tournament like Koshien. I want to broaden the base of the handicapped.

Mr. Full Swing” has grand plans for his second life.

From the December 13 and 20, 2024 issue of FRIDAY