I’m going to make those people who bad-mouthed me look back! …Yusei, Tadashi Yoshida, Maki and other WBC Samurai warriors “talked to this magazine” about their frustrations and pains.

Less than a month before the opening of the WBC (March 6), the registered members (30 players) for the 20 participating countries/regions were announced on February 5. In addition to major leaguers such as Shohei Otani of the Dodgers (31), Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Cubs (27), and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs (31), the Samurai Japan team also includes such leading Japanese professional baseball players as Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin (26) and Kensuke Kondo of Softbank (32).

FRIDAY” interviewed these samurai warriors when they were just beginning to emerge. What was discussed in the interviews were the hidden setbacks and struggles of these athletes who would later become super-class athletes. Let us take a look back at the interviews (the following comments are quotes from the magazine).

I will surely make a comeback and look back at those who spoke ill of me! I will definitely make a comeback and look back at those who spoke ill of me! I will use my frustration as a springboard. I will use my frustration as a springboard. I’ll use my frustration as a springboard.

Yusei Kikuchi (34), in his second year as a professional baseball player, said these words in the February 25, 2011 issue. As the ace of Hanamaki-Higashi High School (Iwate Prefecture), he was the first overall pick in the draft to join Seibu. He told FRIDAY that he had negative feelings toward those around him and felt inadequate about himself.

I still hear bad information. I experienced intense frustration. But it is true that I have not been able to achieve results. I decided that now was the time to endure, and I persevered.

Overcoming the long period of endurance, Kikuchi became the ace of Seibu. He moved to the majors in 1919 and is currently a rotation pitcher for the Angels.

He spends most of his time lying down except for meals.

Masanao Yoshida, 32, of the Red Sox, who was selected as the “Last Samurai” for the last slot in the Samurai Japan team, also had his share of adversity.

His legs are numb and he can’t walk, so he spends his days lying down except for stretching and eating. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to take a full swing again, and I didn’t even want to talk to people.

In the March 17, 2005 issue, Yoshida revealed the following. He was drafted first overall by Aoyama Gakuin University and was named to the starting lineup as the No. 1 hitter in the 2004 season opener, but was struck off the roster soon after due to severe back pain. Overtraining from camp was the cause.

In an effort to build an injury-free body, Yoshida apprenticed himself to Koji Murofushi, 51, a gold medalist in the hammer throw at the Athens Olympics. He trained his core through exercises such as barbell squats to stabilize the balance of his entire body.

I am confident that if I play all year long, I will be able to produce results. I want to win the title of homerun and batting title.

[Claire] This is on a whole other level.

Yoshida won the top batting title two years in a row in ’20 and ’21, and has been in full swing in the majors since ’23.

DeNA’s Shugo Maki (27), an indispensable member of the Samurai batting lineup, also entered the pros as a second-round draft pick from Chuo University, but struggled when he first joined the team. In the December 1, 2011 issue, he said the following.

I was already desperate. My change and fastball were on a different level from those of a student. I took a lot of notes on each pitcher to get used to the pro pitches. I wrote down what I noticed even in the short time we had to switch offensively and defensively.

Even now that he has become a mainstay of DeNA, Maki says he still takes notes on what he notices.

The members of the Samurai Japan team are universally recognized for their abilities. However, it was not all smooth sailing for Maki right from the start of his professional baseball career. They had to desperately overcome hopelessly high obstacles before they could achieve glory.