Mrs. Airi supporting Seiya…Japanese Majors “Happiness as a Couple” Moment!
It has been four months since I announced my intention to try out for the major leagues last November.
Finally, Seiya Suzuki (27) has decided where he will move to. The Chicago Cubs, where many Japanese players such as Yu Darvish, Koji Uehara, and Kosuke Fukudome have played in the past, have agreed in principle to a five-year, $86 million (about 10.05 billion yen) contract, which appears to be a big deal.
The person supporting Suzuki is his wife, Airi (maiden name Hatakeyama), whom he married in August2007. Airi is an athlete who competed in two Olympic Games in London and Rio as a member of rhythmic gymnastics “Fairy Japan. Since her retirement, she has worked as a model and sportscaster.
She and Mio, the wife of Seibu head coach Matsui Akira, who has experience in the major leagues, hit it off on the radio together. She is an excellent cook, and he asks her for advice on recipes and her experiences in the majors. He alsocommunicates on SNS with Mrs. Sachi, wife of Nobuchika Aoki of the Yakult baseball team who played for the Brewers and other teams, and with Ms. Saho, wife of Kenta Maeda, a senior pitcher in the Carp baseball team and a pitcher of the Twins, ” said a friend of Suzuki.
Mrs. Airi was also present at online negotiations with a major baseball team.
She was present at the online negotiations with the Major League Baseball team. Our agent, Joel Wolff, said, ‘We want to make sure that Seya and Airi can take their time and make the right decision. There is no doubt that Mr. Airi’s intentions were at work in the team’s decision.
Ms. Airi is relearning English and studying cooking hard. She is very good at controlling her mentality, perhaps because she has competed in many games overseas as an athlete. I think she is a reliable partner for Suzuki.
Going to an upscale sushi restaurant with a major-league baseball player who accompanies his wife
The wife of Yusei Kikuchi, 30, a member of the Blue Jays since this season, is also a very talented woman.
Rumi, a former freelance announcer and fashion model, is in charge of NHK’s international sports programs and speaks fluent English. She often accompanies Kikuchi, who is not fluent in foreign languages, and sometimes acts as an interpreter between Kikuchi and Major Leaguers.
March 19, 2007, when he moved to the major leagues. Kikuchi invited his teammates to an upscale sushi restaurant in Tokyo to deepen his friendship with the players of his Mariners team at the time.
Yusei held a social gathering with his fellow players at a sushi restaurant before the opening two-game series against the Athletics at the Tokyo Dome. At the time, Yusei had only been with the Mariners a short time. He probably set up the dinner party to get closer to the major leaguers and integrate himself into the team.
Mrs. Rumi was also in attendance. Since the name of the sushi restaurant was ‘Ichiro,’ she told him, ‘It’s pronounced the same as the Mariners legend,’ which made the occasion more relaxed,” said an acquaintance of Kikuchi.
In order to make it big in a foreign country, the cooperation of a wife who supports the family is essential. Japanese players who have made it to the majors have almost certainly received strong support from their wives.
Photography: Takahiro Kagawa Yasuko Sakaguchi Shoichiro Tsuboi