Kenshi Sugiya’s Message to Sho Nakata

The reason he calls him “Taishō” (boss/leader)

“When I met him last year, he mentioned, ‘My back…,’ and even just watching him play, I could see that his body seemed to be in pretty rough shape. But still, I didn’t think he would decide to retire this year.”

Speaking honestly about Sho Nakata of the Chunichi Dragons (36) deciding to retire at the end of this season was Kenshi Sugiya (34), Nakata’s longtime partner-in-crime, a former Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters player who now works in player interviews, as a reporter, and on television (the following are Sugiya’s words).

“(Regarding retirement) I didn’t get any advance notice from Taishō. I actually found out the night before the news broke, when Kin-chan (Kensuke Kondoh of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) sent me a screenshot and a message from Taishō’s Instagram. When I saw that screenshot, I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ But at that moment, I already had some sense of what it meant.

The next morning the reports about his (retirement decision) came flooding out, and I figured even if I called, he wouldn’t pick up, so I just sent him a message. His reply was only five characters: ‘Thank you’ (laughs). But honestly, I thought that was more than enough.

Our relationship isn’t something that ends with just that message. I told him, let’s sit down over drinks, reminisce, and talk slowly about his second career. I’ll probably head to Nagoya sometime soon.”

Sugiya still affectionately calls Nakata “Taishō” (boss/leader). Where did this nickname come from?

“The first person to call him ‘Taishō’ was Obiki-san (Keiji Obiki), back in 2013. Until then, I’d been calling him Shō-san, but when I heard Obiki-san call him ‘Taishō,’ I thought, there’s no one this name suits more. From then on, everyone started calling him that. And he didn’t seem to dislike it either (laughs).”

“I didn’t have that much to learn (laughs).”

Sugiya repeatedly expressed his gratitude toward Nakata.

“If I hadn’t met a player like Sho Nakata, I wouldn’t have been able to play for 14 years. I’m proud that I was able to wear the same uniform as him as a fellow player. In my first year after turning pro, when I saw Sho Nakata up close, I realized there are truly incredible players in this world.

During camp, we were always taking grounders together, and during travel, I was always right next to him. He showed me sides of himself that most people never get to see. From the outside, people might think of him as having a bold personality, given his build, but in reality, he was sensitive and very aware of the voices around him. He had that kind and gentle side too.

He took me out for meals countless times, and really fed me a lot. Experiencing that from Taishō, I learned that it’s something I need to pass on to my juniors as well. Now, I’m the one taking younger players out to eat.”

Surely, there was also a lot to learn from Sho Nakata as a player.

“Honestly, I didn’t learn that much (laughs). The level of his baseball was just different (laughs). If he had been as stoic about the game as someone like Shohei Ohtani, I think he could have won the Triple Crown four or five times. His bat control, power, glove handling, throwing—everything about him was truly top class.”

In the Instagram post Nakata made the day before announcing his retirement, the photo he shared wasn’t in his current Dragons uniform but in his old Fighters uniform.

“I don’t think there was any deep meaning behind it. That was just the photo that fit best at the time. That’s the kind of person he is.”

So what kind of words would Sugiya like to send to Nakata?

“For 18 years, he played under the pressure of always having to be the cleanup hitter. So now, I just want him to put down the bat and spend time with his family and children without worrying about the batting order. This isn’t the end of his baseball life, and it’s not the end of our relationship either. What comes next will last even longer—and from now on, please keep treating me until I die (laughs).

The season’s not over yet, so I want to see that swing again—the one I first saw when I was 17, the one that made me dream that this man would change Japanese baseball. I want to see that powerful full swing in the batter’s box one more time.”

With about 30 games left in the season, not just Sugiya but baseball fans everywhere are surely waiting to see Sho Nakata’s full swing once again.