Shota Morishita’s Steel Nerves Drive Him Through Off-Field Rumors

He also apologized in front of his teammates

This season, the Hanshin Tigers achieved the fastest league championship in history during the regular season and secured a spot in the Japan Series by comfortably defeating DeNA in the Climax Series. One of the driving forces behind this remarkable run was third-year professional outfielder Shota Morishita (25).

This season, he played in 143 games, posting a .275 batting average with 23 home runs and 89 RBIs, ranking second in the league in both home runs and RBIs, just behind teammate Teruaki Sato (26), who bats fourth for the same team.

Furthermore, in the second game of the Climax Series on October 16, he hit a dramatic walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, demonstrating his exceptional strength in the postseason.

“He has the power to completely turn a game around with a single swing. Even back in his days at Chuo University, he was remarkably strong in clutch situations, and his mental toughness was extraordinary. When he was drafted, some were worried about him joining Hanshin, a team with extremely passionate fans, but all his teammates and juniors in the baseball club said, ‘He’ll absolutely succeed with a popular team like Hanshin—it suits him perfectly,’” said a source from his alma mater, Chuo University.

Morishita has grown into a key figure in the Tigers lineup both in name and in reality, but this season was far from smooth sailing.

“He’s the type who experiences big swings in performance. When he was struggling at the plate and feeling down, his close teammate Takumu Nakano (29) would encourage him privately, helping him persevere,” said a former team member.

Still, a particularly tough challenge awaited him: the so-called couple pickup incident during the midsummer Tokyo road trip.

“Sato, Morishita, and outfielder Ukyo Maekawa (22) sneaked out from their lodging near the Tokyo Dome to attend a group date. Sato and Morishita succeeded in taking a woman home, while Maekawa failed. The entire episode was reported by ‘Shukan Bunshun.’ Since it was also revealed they had broken curfew, they received a severe warning for violating internal regulations,” the source added.

When news of the report broke, Morishita was prompted by team officials to publicly apologize in front of the entire team.

“After apologizing for causing the commotion with Sato, Morishita boldly stated, ‘I got scared of the media, but I now understand my position. I’m sorry for causing trouble. I’ll make up for it by hitting like crazy from here on, so watch me.’

Most young players would have been discouraged or withdrawn after such a report, but Morishita promised a double payback. His mental strength is remarkable.

As promised, he went on to hit consistently, contributing to the championship and excelling in the postseason. His teammates were impressed, laughing and saying, ‘He really is a star,’” said a team source.

That Morishita can turn even a personal scandal into a source of motivation highlights his truly ironclad mental toughness.