Professional baseball fans are drooling over Tsunoki Miyata, a super veteran in his 80s, and the “great players” and enduring “great games” that I have relayed live.

Historic Moments in Live Broadcast

“Hey, Miyata!　Kaneda is pitching right now!　If he wins, he’ll have 400 wins!”

At 8:00 p.m. in the final game of the 1969 season, Nobuki Miyata (84), a Nippon Broadcasting System announcer, ran to Korakuen Stadium upon hearing the words of his boss, who had called him in a hurry.

Miyata had just finished a game for which he was in charge and was on duty at the head office, when he was suddenly asked to record a play-by-play of the historic moment. The broadcast stands behind the back net were fully equipped with all the necessary equipment. With barely a moment to catch his breath, the feat was accomplished. Miyata raised his voice.

Kaneda will win 400 games!　Kaneda will win 400 games!　Kaneda looks so happy. Kaneda is so happy, Kaneda is so happy,” he shouted desperately in a high-pitched voice. But that moment is still burned in my mind.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Nippon Broadcasting System’s famous live baseball program “Nippon Broadcasting System Show Up Night”. Miyata has supported the program since its dawn and is still a legend today as Japan’s first “play-by-play announcer in his 80s” who continues to provide live coverage.

Miyata is a legend who has supported the program since its early days and continues to provide live broadcasts as Japan’s first “play-by-play announcer in his 80s. Yasuhiro Saito, who was active on “All Night Nippon,” was my classmate, and the same year Yuri Osawa joined TBS. It was in my second year with the company that I began working on live baseball broadcasts.”

From 1965, the year Miyata began his full-fledged live broadcasting, the Giants were on the road to a glorious V9 record. The “on gun” combination of Sadaharu Oh, who hit a professional baseball record (at the time) 55 home runs in a season the previous year, and Shigeo Nagashima, the superstar of the baseball world, captivated fans nationwide. Miyata’s life as a play-by-play broadcaster began with the frenzy of this golden era of professional baseball.

For a while, I was not entrusted with live broadcasts on the national network,” he said. That is why I was so happy to be able to report on Kaneda’s 400th win on October 10, 1969. I had always been a Japan National Railways fan, and I had loved Kanada since I was a student.

That’s why I was so engrossed in the play-by-play, but when I listen to it now, all I can hear is how Kaneda was doing. …… I was also protecting Mr. Oh and Mr. Nagashima. That’s not a good play-by-play performance (laughs).

After his retirement, Kaneda transformed himself into a top-notch commentator with his one-of-a-kind presence and toothless talk.

He once took me out to dinner on a business trip to the Kansai region. It was a wonderful restaurant that boasted of its fish and served sashimi with kimo soy sauce. I remember I was impressed by his boldness. I was so nervous that I can’t remember the taste or the details of our conversation. ……

Besides Mr. Kanada, there are many other commentators who have been a great help to me. The one who scared me was Junzo Sekine right after he retired. When I said to him, “Mr. Sekine, this is a scene where you want a point,” he would say, “I always want a point, whether it is a thousand or ten thousand points.

When I told him that Tsuneo Horiuchi (78), who was on the mound today, was sweating and running to break out of his slump, he said, “Any baseball player would run. I couldn’t help but want to leave my seat and say, ‘I’m done! I wanted to leave my seat and say, ‘I’m quitting!

Active Era and Managerial Era

He also interviewed Mr. Professional Baseball Shigeo Nagashima, who watched Kaneda win 400 games from third base, countless times.

At the time, Nippon Broadcasting System was running a program called “ON Diary” before the live broadcasts. It featured Mr. Oh and Mr. Nagashima alternately. One of the most memorable moments was July 1, 1973, at Koshien Stadium. On that day, Hanshin pitcher Jiro Ueda was holding the Giants to a no-hit, no-run game until two outs in the ninth inning, but Mr. Nagashima finally prevented the record by hitting a ball to left field.

The next day, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Nagashima on the bullet train as the Giants’ nine were returning to Tokyo. He was sitting in the green car, and despite the fact that he was on the move, he readily agreed to my interview, saying, “Hi! and he told me about his hit the day before.

On the other hand, unlike his impression of Nagashima during his active baseball career, he sometimes revealed his difficult feelings during his time as manager.

In particular, my first year as manager was a terrible season, when we finished in last place for the first time in the history of the baseball team. I followed him all over the country, but it was the worst journey of my life. When the team was losing, Nagashima had an aura of unapproachability.

One day, sitting on the third base bench at Koshien Stadium, he gave me an interview before a game against rival Hanshin. He said, “The game here is a fight (with the Hanshin). But you know, it’s tough to organize 65 members of the Giants as a manager. ……” In his words, Nagashima’s unchanging fighting spirit and a sense of weakness that he never expressed during his playing days were inseparable.

The world’s home run king was a stark contrast to Nagashima.

He was scary when he was active. He was unapproachable, and it took courage to talk to him. But after he became manager, he would give interviews to veteran reporters and young reporters alike. I think that baseball players all look different when they become managers.

In fact, I was in charge of the play-by-play for the game on August 31, 1977, when Hank Aaron tied the world record (at the time) of 755 home runs hit in the majors. I remember shouting, “He hit 755, he hit 755! I remember shouting, “I’ve hit 755! It was a big record, so I could have said something more! I regret it a little (laughs).

Part 2] Tsunoki Miyata, a play-by-play announcer in his 80s: “It’s still fun to play baseball play-by-play.

From the April 10, 2026 issue of FRIDAY