[Full Text] Yuki Yanagita, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: “I’m Not There Yet as a Professional Baseball Player”

What changes lie ahead for this baseball superstar as he approaches the age of “forty”?

“I think, after all, in professional baseball, if you can’t make money, it’s over. It’s a world that’s simple and easy to understand, no matter how you look at it. That’s probably why it’s so interesting.”

Yuki Yanagita (37), who has experienced seven league championships and eight Japan Series titles with the Pacific League’s dominant SoftBank Hawks, is entering the final year of his seven-year contract this year.In the offseason of 2019, when he was 31, he declared he would play for the Hawks for the rest of his career in a deal worth an estimated 4 billion yen. The man who has become a franchise player in both name and deed—etching his name into the team’s history—is now said to be battling the effects of aging that come at him day by day.

“This job—the daily rhythm is kind of weird, isn’t it?When I was younger, I could go out for yakiniku after a night game, drink until morning, and sleep until well past noon… and still play at full strength every day. But if I did the same thing now, I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. So, if it’s a home game—even a night game—I go to bed by midnight, and even on the road, I’m in bed by 1:00 a.m.

I’ve also started paying more attention to my diet. I hardly eat fried foods anymore, and I generally resist the urge to snack. But after dinner on a day when I’ve really given it my all, I treat myself to some Häagen-Dazs ice cream. That’s a whole different stomach! (laughs)”

The time he spends preparing before practice—which he recalls as “seriously zero” back when he was a young player—has gradually increased to one or two hours as he’s gotten older.

“Man, it’s tough. My body used to move on its own without me having to do anything, but now it’s gradually becoming less responsive. So, I’m working hard to increase my explosive power training to make sure my body can keep up during matches.

On the team, I’m surrounded by younger players, and when I get home, my (three) kids are growing up so fast… I really feel like I’ve become an old man now. (laughs)”

Even so, Yanagita hits the ball farther than anyone else during pre-game batting practice. On the day I visited for an interview, he was driving line drives to the opposite field that left the younger players speechless, but he just laughed it off, saying, “Seriously, it’s really no big deal. (Those hits) are trash!”Fifteen years after securing a starting spot in Fukuoka, the Hawks’ power hitter—who has racked up over 1,600 hits and more than 270 home runs—remains humble to the core.

“But when I was a rookie, I underestimated professional baseball. It was Mr. Kurano who changed that mindset for me.”

Yanagita joined the SoftBank Hawks in 2011 as the second overall draft pick. After his rookie season—which ended with just six first-team appearances—he headed to Puerto Rico for a two-month training stint in the Winter League.Accompanying him on that trip was Shinji Kurano (51), the first-team chief pitching coach and head coordinator. While living and eating together, Yanagita says he was taught the ways to survive in the baseball world.

“Apparently, when Mr. Kurano asked me, ‘What kind of baseball player do you want to be?’, I blurted out something nonsensical like, ‘I’m not really sure, but I guess I’ll be a regular in a few years?’ (laughs). I wrote my daily baseball notebook entries in that same casual spirit.

But then Mr. Kurano would scold me, saying, ‘Are you taking this lightly? Don’t be so complacent!’ He taught me a lot about the importance of practice and the mindset I needed to have as a professional baseball player.Even now, I sometimes talk with Mr. Kurano about those days. Every time we do, I can’t believe I actually said things like that back then.”

Gita’s “Time to Step Down”

After his mentor’s stern rebuke opened his eyes, Yanagida spent his 20s in glory—achieving the “Triple Three” in 2015 and leading his team to both the league championship and the Japan Series title—but his 30s were plagued by injuries.In ’19, he was sidelined by a muscle strain behind his left knee; in ’22, by rotator cuff tendinitis in his left shoulder; and in ’24, by a right hamstring injury. Last year, a bone contusion in his right tibia limited him to just 20 games—the fewest of his professional career, excluding his rookie year.Even Yanagita, once dubbed the “Hawks’ Superhuman,” admits, “It’s been tough since I signed that seven-year contract.”

“Simply put, I’d think, ‘Do I really have to devote everything to baseball for this much time left…?’ and it was definitely tough. That’s why the injuries took a mental toll on me, so to speak. Plus, I recover more slowly now than I did in my 20s.As the time I couldn’t play in games grew longer, I found myself thinking more and more, ‘Isn’t this about reaching my limit?’ But here I am, still playing baseball. So I’ve stopped worrying about it and have come to see it all as necessary experience for me.

My body might have been more agile when I was younger, but I think I’m a better baseball player now—someone who’s incorporated knowledge about practice, training, diet, and sleep, and is actually putting it into practice.”

Yanagita will turn 38 this October. While he’s posted a decent performance this season—batting .249 with 8 home runs and 26 RBIs as of the end of the Interleague games—how does this superstar, approaching the age of 40, view his own retirement?

“As a professional baseball player, I’m not done yet. So, as long as the team needs me, I want to keep playing baseball, and I want to get even better. Retiring while I still have something left in the tank, or retiring after playing until I’m worn out—either way is fine. Until that time comes, I want to keep earning a living. I’ve got a family and horses to support, after all (laughs).”

Yanagida, a huge horse racing fan, is also a horse owner and currently owns five horses. Last February, his horse “God Valley” scored its first victory at Kokura Racecourse, but…

“There’s always someone better out there.There are so many amazing people out there, like Susumu Fujita (53) from CyberAgent and Masato Kaneko (81), who’s known for owning top-class horses. I’m nowhere near their level. That’s why I have to give it my all in baseball. My salary dropped last year, but I’m telling myself, ‘I’ll earn enough to buy a good horse!’”

The presence of fellow “’88 generation” players like Hayato Sakamoto (37), Masahiro Tanaka (37), and Kenta Maeda (38) also serves as motivation for Yanagita.

“I want to prove to my teammates and fans alike that you can still play even at this age! I think the joy of baseball lies in the fact that you want to keep playing even when your body is falling apart or your skills are fading.I think the players who are the same age and joined the team at the same time feel the same way. Otherwise, you wouldn’t normally think about playing baseball until this age. Well, it’s only recently that I’ve been able to find that joy, though (laughs).”

Although Gita is still full of drive, at the end of the interview, as if it had just occurred to him, he told us about his ideal life after retirement.

“What I’d like to do… maybe call and commentate on boat races. Also, being an MC at horse racing events sounds nice. I’d like to climb Mount Fuji, and snowboarding and skiing are awesome, too. I used to ski when I was little, but considering the risk of injury, I had to hold off while I was still an active player… I want to go back to Geihoku Highlands (in my hometown of Hiroshima) and ski like I used to.”

The “ambitions” of a top-tier athlete are boundless.

“I actually think I’m a better baseball player now than I ever was.”

From the July 10, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*