Long Dress or Mini Skirt? Inside the Giants’ Different Responses to Yūhei Takanashi’s Affair Report

His first child was born in 2024

“FRIDAY’s” report that Yūhei Takanashi (34), a relief left-hander for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s professional baseball league, had spent the night with another woman despite being married has sparked widespread reaction.

After a game in mid-July, Takanashi visited a shisha bar in Ginza and emerged shortly after 3:30 a.m. alongside a beautiful woman wearing a long dress. As they left the establishment, Takanashi repeatedly made playful, affectionate gestures toward her, at one point reaching out as if to say,

“Want me to carry your bag?”

He would reach for the woman’s hand, then pull it back, continuing to flirt and act playfully throughout. The two then got into a taxi together and headed to a hotel in Tokyo. Apparently wary of being seen, they entered the hotel separately, several minutes apart, and did not emerge until morning. A ring was clearly visible on Takanashi’s left ring finger.

“Takanashi married a younger non-celebrity woman in 2022, and their first child was born just last year, in 2024. He started this season in the minor leagues after suffering an injury, but returned to the first team in May and earned a win, showing signs of a comeback. However, he has since been demoted to the second team again, so this must be a frustrating season for him.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

Takanashi himself issues a comment

In fact, about a month before this overnight hotel stay, “FRIDAY” had also caught Takanashi drinking in Tokyo with a different beautiful woman wearing an extremely short miniskirt. According to a sports writer,

“He’s been fond of group dates since his student days.”

His comments offer a glimpse into Takanashi’s lively social life outside baseball.

What was surprising, however, was the baseball club’s response to the reports.

Regarding the miniskirted beauty in June, the club responded:

“She is a friend of his.”

But regarding the overnight stay with the long-dress beauty in July, Takanashi himself issued the following statement:

“I deeply apologize for causing such a disturbance. I have apologized to my family, and the matter has already been resolved. I sincerely apologize to all the fans and everyone involved as well.”

Regarding the difference, a sports writer familiar with the situation explained:

“In response to ‘FRIDAY’s’ inquiry, the Giants presumably confirmed the facts directly with Takanashi. In the process, the club commented that the woman in the miniskirt was a friend. But regarding the woman in the long dress, because he acknowledged that they were involved in an affair, the club likely decided that rather than issuing a statement itself, he should take responsibility for cleaning up the situation through a personal statement.”

Many fans are likely to be disappointed by the latest report of Takanashi’s behavior despite having a wife and child. Attention will now turn to whether he can regain their trust through his pitching and performances on the field.

[YouTube] On “FRIDAY TV’s” Entertainment Reporters Channel, active entertainment journalists take an in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes details of the alleged affairs involving two beautiful women within the span of a single month, under the title “Yomiuri Giants’ Yūhei Takanashi: The Truth Behind the Overnight Affair.” They discuss the reporter’s firsthand observations of the affectionate behavior between the relief ace and the woman in the long dress, as well as the unexpected reaction from fans.