Last updated: May 8, 2024
Young players from the Yomiuri Giants have been appointed as public relations ambassadors for local governments with which the team has signed a partnership agreement around the new Giants Stadium (scheduled to open in March 2025) under construction in the Minamiyama district of Inagi City. In Inagi City, four players have been appointed as "Yomiuri Giants Inagi City PR Supporters."
From now on, we will be working with Inagi City Tourism Ambassador Kazutomo Miyamoto (Yomiuri Giants women's team manager) to enliven Inagi City through baseball!
▼For more information about the Yomiuri Giants Public Relations Ambassador, please also see the Yomiuri Giants homepage (external link) .
▼Message videos from Asano and Morita are also being distributed to Yomiuri Giants X !
To commemorate their appointment as Inagi City PR Supporters, they will be presented with autographed cards and balls from the four players and Yomiuri Giants Women's Team Manager Miyamoto Kazutomo (Inagi City Tourism Ambassador).
People living in the city
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Note: The application period is now closed.
How do you feel about being appointed as Inagi City's PR Supporter?
I don't know much about Inagi City yet, so I'd like to learn more by talking a lot with Mr. Morita.
What are your impressions of the area around the Yomiuri Giants Stadium where you usually practice, and Inagi City?
It gives the impression of being a quiet, comfortable place to live.
What is your image of Morita? What is the relationship between the two of you?
To be honest, when he first joined the team I found it a little difficult to talk to him because of the age difference, but Morita-san spoke to me casually, and we even had the opportunity to go out to eat meals together at camp, so he's become an easy-to-talk-to senior who's like an older brother to me.
What does Morita call you?
My name is Shogo.
At the new Giants stadium scheduled to open next March, what does Asano himself want to do, and what are his expectations as a Giants player?
I want to become a player who is supported by more fans and who people want to see in person at the stadium. I want to work hard both as a team and as an individual so that more people will come to the stadium.
What are your goals for this season and what do you want the citizens to see?
I would be happy if everyone would treat me as a member of Inagi City, as a friend, as a family member. I know that because I'm a professional baseball player, it may be a little difficult to talk to them, and there may be a sense of distance between us, but I want to do my best to break down that barrier and become a familiar presence to everyone.
What are your aspirations as an Inagi City PR Supporter, and what would you like to convey to the city's residents?
Once the off-season begins and Morita's schedule lines up, I'd like to do activities that will help increase the number of people playing baseball, such as holding baseball classes and visiting elementary schools.
What is your image of women's teams and women's baseball?
I have a childhood friend named Nene Masago on the women's team, and sometimes when we have the same timing for self-practice, we do things like tee-batting together. I hope that people can enjoy baseball together, regardless of gender, and that the number of people playing baseball will increase.
As an Inagi City PR Supporter, what would you like to do in the future?
I would like to interact with the local citizens. Rather than restricting people to a certain distance, I think Inagi City would become more lively if we could create opportunities for interaction where even small children can come up to people and adults can talk to them.
For children who are already on baseball teams, you will become a familiar presence and an object of admiration. Please give a message to those children.
It's not "try your best" but "let's work hard together". Seeing the children working hard at little league baseball makes us want to work hard too, and seeing us working hard makes the children in little league baseball want to be like us and work hard too. I want us to work hard together, competing with each other.
How do you feel about being appointed as Inagi City's PR Supporter?
I want to promote Inagi City. I myself still don't know much about Inagi City, but I think I'll be relying on the city a lot in the future, so I want to find out the good things about it and let people outside the city know about it.
What is your impression of the area around Yomiuri Giants Stadium and Inagi City?
It seems very quiet. I was born in Toyama Prefecture and grew up in a quiet place, so it's a similar environment to that. I can concentrate on baseball and the air is fresh, so I'm able to live comfortably.
Inagi City's specialty is pears, but have you ever tried an Inagi pear?
I haven't tried it yet. I love pears, so I'd like to eat more of them in the future.
Have you talked about this ambassador project with the other players?
It's still early days. I think that by appearing at various events and doing PR activities, the word will spread among the players. I want to convey the message not only to the players, but also to the fans.
What is your impression of Asano, who was appointed alongside you?
Although he looks older than me, Asano is seven years younger than me. (laughs) He's very calm. He thinks things through and I feel he has a strong sense of self. He takes baseball seriously, so I respect that.
How do you two call each other?
I am called Morita-san, and I call Asano Shogo.
Did you two talk about something?
When I first heard about the PR ambassador position, I hadn't met Shogo yet, so to be honest I didn't know much about him. Since then, we've started talking about all sorts of things, spending more time together, and becoming good friends.
What do you yourself want to do and what are your expectations at the new Giants Stadium?
I want a lot of people to come and watch, and I think we need to do a lot of PR so that people will notice us. I want to work hard to make it a fun place that people can come to just casually, not just to watch baseball.
What are your goals for your first year as a professional, and what are the appealing points that you want people to see?
I want to produce good results. And by showing that, I want to make the people of Inagi City proud of us. To achieve that, first of all, both myself and Shogo will do our best to play in the first team and appear in the hero interview together.
What are your aspirations as an Inagi City PR Supporter, and what would you like to convey to the city residents?
I want to become truly close to them, and I think the most important thing is for them to have fun, so I hope to be able to give them many opportunities to do so.
What are your images or impressions of women's teams and women's baseball?
Baseball tends to be watched by men. However, the number of female players is increasing, and I think that will continue to increase. I want to work together with both men and women to make the Giants a success.
Since I am the senior among the other players (Ito and Onuma, who are also Inagi City PR supporters), I would like to lead the team as the captain of Inagi City.
As an Inagi City PR Supporter, what would you like to do in the future?
I hope I can go to an elementary school. I would like to participate with Shogo in places where many people gather, as long as time allows. I want to be a familiar player, not a special one.
For children who are already on baseball teams, you will become a familiar presence and an object of admiration. Please give a message to those children.
The number of baseball players is declining, but I think it's important for us to do activities and games that will increase the number of baseball players through baseball. We'll do our best, so let's work together to liven up the baseball world!
What are your memories of Inagi City?
(Ito)
People I met in Inagi City spoke to me and I felt like they were supporting me.
(Onuma)
I often go out to eat with my teammates in the city, and I spend my time searching for good restaurants.
When did you start playing baseball and what was the trigger?
(Ito)
Since I was in the first grade of elementary school. My older brother played baseball, and I thought it looked fun.
(Onuma)
I started when I was in the second grade of elementary school. I was also influenced by my older brother, who invited me to start playing when we went to watch him practice.
What prompted you to join the Yomiuri Giants women's team?
(Ito)
It all started when Manager Miyamoto asked me if I wanted to try out for the Giants' selection. If I could show my skills in the selection, I could join the Yomiuri Giants, so I accepted.
My image of the Yomiuri Giants is that they already have four amazing players in their first class, and I heard they plan to add more players, so I thought they would be a great team. It's a dream stage for female players. I had the image of being able to play with high-level players, and I was able to join the team I admired.
(Onuma)
It all started with a tryout. When I decided to quit my previous team, I wanted to try out for a higher level team, so I took a tryout with the Yomiuri Giants.
What did you actually feel when you joined the Yomiuri Giants?
(Ito)
I joined the Yomiuri Giants after graduating from high school, and I thought it was amazing that, unlike high school club activities, each player identifies their own issues and works to improve all by themselves.
(Onuma)
As the oldest professional baseball team in Japan, I feel that we have been given a wonderful environment for practice and games. I am also grateful that so many fans come to our games.
What do you enjoy about each position? Are there any players you looked up to or modeled after?
(Ito)
The interesting thing about being a pitcher is the satisfaction you get when you strike out a batter. The effort you put in in practice is reflected in your performance, so I feel very happy when I strike out a batter.
A senior in high school who was also a sidearm pitcher always seemed to shine. He was also selected for the Japanese national team, so I always looked up to him.
(Onuma)
The appeal of being a catcher is that out of the nine players, the catcher is the only one facing the opposite direction, so he can see a different and beautiful view than the other players. I think that a catcher who can hit is the best, so I want to become a catcher who can hit.
What are your selling points and what should people definitely look out for?
(Ito)
I want you to see some powerful pitching!
(Onuma)
I'm confident in my shoulder strength.
When do you feel closer to the people of Inagi?
(Ito)
I would be happy if through our baseball classes and academies, children and their parents would become interested in women's baseball, and I think they will feel closer to the female players and feel more familiar with them.
(Onuma)
If you come to a match or practice, you will have the opportunity to talk to the fans afterwards. I think that this will make you feel closer to the female players than to the male players. I hope you will come!
(Ito)
Come see the smiles!
What are your goals for the rest of this season?
(Ito)
This season, I plan to pitch a lot and gain more experience. In the future, I plan to train hard and improve my pitching speed and control so that I can be selected for the Japanese national team.
(Onuma)
As a team, we aim to win the league championship and two more championships to complete the triple crown. Personally, I will do my best to become a catcher who can hit.
What do you want to do and what are your expectations at the new Giants Stadium, scheduled to open next March?
(Ito)
Women's baseball games will also be held at the new GIANTS Stadium, and I hope everyone will come and see us play there.
(Onuma)
Personally, I'm looking forward to the new Giants stadium, of course, but also the aquarium, so I'd like to do my best to promote it.
What are your aspirations as an Inagi City PR Supporter, and what would you like to convey to the city's residents?
(Ito)
I hope to interact with local residents, help them learn about women's baseball, and talk to them about the good things about the city, and through these kinds of interactions I hope to spread the good things about Inagi City.
(Onuma)
The new Giants Stadium will be built in Inagi City, and since it will have an aquarium attached, I think there will be many opportunities for families to come and watch baseball games. Inagi City is the home town of the Giants and Tokyo Verdy, so sports are very popular here. We would like to promote Inagi City through baseball.
What would you like to tell Giants fans about the appeal of Inagi City?
(Ito)
These are pears from Inagi. I often eat pears in the fall, and the pears from Inagi are very large, sweet and delicious.
(Onuma)
The city is rich in nature. There is a river in the city, and in the spring the cherry blossoms bloom, which is really beautiful. I would like to promote these aspects of the city.
As an Inagi City PR Supporter, what would you like to do in the future?
(Ito)
I would like to visit various places in Inagi City to spread the word about women's baseball.
(Onuma)
I hope that this will be an opportunity to hold women's baseball games in Inagi City and further spread the appeal of women's baseball.
For children who want to become baseball players or other sports players, what are some good things they can do during their elementary and junior high school years?
(Ito)
I have played many different sports. I think that it is important to learn how to use your body by doing different things, so try moving, and if you don't understand, move again with a new goal in mind.
(Onuma)
I myself have been doing various sports, including swimming, since kindergarten. I love baseball, of course, but I also like other sports. If you are interested in something, I think it is important to just try it.
Yomiuri Giants
Inagi City Industry, Culture and Sports Department Tourism Division Phone: 042-378-2111