Senbatsu Opening Ceremony Postponed, Reminds Us of “Historic Moment 30 Years Ago

I was witness to a historic game.

The Senbatsu high school baseball tournament, which was scheduled to open on March 18, has been postponed due to worsening weather conditions. This was the first time in 30 years that the event was postponed, which is a rare occurrence.

I was in Koshien that day 30 years ago to cover the event, and I remember those days as if they were yesterday. I remember that day as if it were only yesterday, because I was there to witness that historic game, in addition to the accidental postponement of the game.

Thirty years ago, in 1992, the Senbatsu high school baseball tournament was originally scheduled to open on March 26, but heavy rain from the previous day forced its cancellation. The next day was another cold day with light rain falling from a leaden sky, but the opening ceremony was eventually held a day later.

That day, private railways in the Kansai region were on strike, and no trains were running during the morning commute. To get to Koshien from Osaka, one usually takes a Hanshin train from Umeda and gets off at Koshien. This is because the Koshien Stadium is conveniently located right in front of the station.

However, due to the private railway strike, there was a bit of a panic among those who were planning to go to Koshien that day; the JR trains were running, but the Koshien-guchi station, the closest JR station to Koshien Stadium, was jammed with people. I remember it took quite a while just to get out of the station. There were no cabs on the premises because they were all out of service. In the midst of all this, students and others who had come all the way to support their alma mater were walking silently.

It was cold, even in late March, but I was drenched in sweat from all the walking, and after nearly an hour we finally arrived at Koshien and sat down in the stands.

Godzilla Matsui is born!

The first game of the day, which began with such confusion, was between Ishikawa’s Seiryo High School and Iwate’s Miyako High School.

Miyako is a port town located in the center of Sanriku. Miyako High School, which had reached the finals of the Tohoku Tournament in the fall before being selected for the Sembatsu tournament, might have had very different aspirations from Seiryo, whose goal since that time had been to keep winning at the Koshien Stadium.

However, once the game started, it turned out to be a match with highlights, as Miyako kept attacking with the bases loaded. The bases would be loaded, but the final timely hit was not forthcoming. It would have been an interesting game if they could have gotten a timely hit, but they got four walks in one game, and every chance they had was squandered.

Standing in the way of the struggling Miyako was Seiryo’s No. 4 hitter, Hideki Matsui. Matsui had a good reputation in the past, but he proved to be a real threat in this tournament. He was poised in the left box, and when he flashed a pitch at Miyako’s Motoda, who was pitching straight at Matsui, the ball made a metallic “clink” sound and was sucked into the side of the back screen on a liner.

The three-run homer was such a big hit that even the Miyako cheering section applauded. And that was not all. The next at-bat was also a home run. Matsui went 4 for 4 in the game, with two home runs and seven runs batted in, which remains a Senbatsu tournament record until recently.

Seiryo won the game 9-3, but it was a strong feeling that Matsui alone was responsible for the defeat. The game could have been a little closer if Matsui had been given the benefit of the doubt, but it was a truly refreshing game that was played fairly and squarely.

In the end, Matsui hit three home runs in this Senbatsu, including two against Miyako. The opening ceremony of the tournament was postponed, but Matsui’s home run cleared up the bad mood, and the tournament became a historic and memorable event.

In years when there are accidents, great games and great players are born. With this in mind, this year’s Senbatsu Tournament is sure to be full of drama, and I am already excited about it.

I hit two home runs in a row off Godzilla at Koshien.

Motoda, a pitcher from Miyako who is now living in Sendai as a working adult, says he still reminisces with his colleagues when he meets them. This is what youth is all about, isn’t it?