The SR group was under the command of Coach Yatsu, a new addition to the staff alongside Manager Kimitsu. At 44, Yatsu was a former player for the Keihan Jaguars in the Sea League, known for his fiery nature despite his small stature of just over 170cm. He was notorious for diving headfirst into brawls, often pouncing on his opponents, including formidable foreign players. His aggression on the field was balanced by a solid defensive prowess that earned him high praise. After retiring, Yatsu served as the manager of the Keihan Jaguars and as the second-team infield defense coach before joining the Shizuoka Oceans.
When the six members of the SR group gathered, Coach Yatsu's first words were, "Okay, let's warm up. Let's do 100 laps around the field."
I couldn't believe my ears. I glanced at Taniguchi, who looked equally bewildered. "Can't you hear me? It's time to warm up. One hundred laps of the grand prix."
The field was small, but each lap was nearly 200 meters, meaning 100 laps was about 20 kilometers. This was far from a warm-up distance.
"By the way, the last two have an extra 50 laps. Go quickly."
We started running. It was the first time I had run that much since starting high school. Back then, new members ran daily until many dropped out. The six of us began slowly, conserving energy for the last ten laps to avoid finishing last.
Coach Yatsu, timing us with a stopwatch, soon shattered our strategy. "Too slow. You all have ten more laps, If you don't run a lap in under a minute, it doesn't count."
Running 200 meters in under a minute translates to completing 20 kilometers in 1 hour and 40 minutes. We had no choice but to pick up the pace. In the end, I completed 110 laps in 1 hour and 44 minutes, finishing second. Was this a half marathon?
Taniguchi, a muscular slugger, came in last, along with Maehara, a second-year catcher from college. They both had to run an extra 50 laps. We barely rested and then sprinted up a nearby slope. The hill sprints seemed harder than the extra laps. This was just the morning's training.
After lunch, we practiced catching and knocking, taking short breaks before knocking again. Any error or wild pitch meant running the ball back and forth between right and left field five times. It felt like training for a relay race, reminiscent of a TV program featuring a relay race between 12 baseball teams during the off-season.
As the sun set quickly, we moved to the indoor training field for swinging and batting practice. After dinner, we did weight training. Exhausted, I fell asleep immediately, only to repeat the intensive training the next day. This continued for four days, followed by a day of rest, and then another four days of intense training.
Strangely, my body gradually adapted. After a rest day, the training became even tougher, but we managed without any dropouts. We later dubbed this "Hell's Yatsu Camp." However, the rigorous training instilled an unspoken confidence in me.
I later learned that SR stood for "Special Reinforcement Group."
Autumn is also a season of farewells for professional baseball players, marking the time when players are notified they are no longer part of the team. None of the first-year players were cut, but a third-year player after high school and a second-year player after college were let go. Both were low-round draft picks who never made it to the first team. It was a stark reminder of the harsh realities of professional baseball.
As a low-round draft pick myself, I knew I had to become a regular player on the second team next season to advance.
The draft meeting brought new players to the team, with eight nominees this time. Arai, the first pick, was a college graduate infielder expected to make an immediate impact. He had a reputation for being well-rounded in batting, defense, arm strength, and speed, presenting a formidable challenge. The team also acquired high school graduate infielder Adachi with the fourth draft pick. New rivals appeared one after another, making it even harder to secure a spot in the minor league games.
Then came more daunting news: the team acquired Thomas Lowry, a former Major League infielder, as their new foreign player. Despite a downturn last season, Lowry had previously played 137 big league games, batting .277 with 16 home runs. He could play anywhere in the infield, with his main position being second base. My position just became even more precarious.
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