On February 16th, at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa, a press conference was held in advance of the "GLOBAL BASEBALL MATCH 2015: Samurai Japan vs. All-Euro" (March 10th, 11th, Tokyo Dome), and the 26 players were announced.
The press conference began with Hiroki Kokubo, manager of the Samurai Japan national team, taking the rostrum and calling out the names of each player. This team was shaped around the members of the All-Star Series in November of last month, though "we chose the players with the intention of not inviting the players whose skill we are familiar with, instead giving the chance to other young players", says Manager Kokubo. The players Hirokazu Sawamura (Yomiuri Giants), Katsuki Matayoshi (Chunichi Dragons), Yuki Matsui (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles), Tsubasa Aizawa (Hiroshima Toyo Carp), Yuhei Takai (Tokyo Yakult Swallows), and Yohei Oshima (Chunichi Dragons) were invited to Kokubo Japan for the first time. This was a fresh array of faces, with the oldest being Nobuhiro Matsuda (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) at age 31.
Manager Kokubo explained the position of the upcoming training match, saying, "This is the perfect chance to prepare for the 'Premier 12' held in November of this year. I want the players to understand that." In addition to tirelessly observing each baseball team from the camp-in on February 1st, "I had such a good catch because I told the coaches of each of the twelve baseball teams directly that a new world competition would be held this fall, and told them that I was asking them to dispatch their players in preparation for it", he said with a smile. In regards to the national team match in March, he sat upright and said, "The time before the season opens is an important time, so I hope that they can be returned to their teams in good shape. I want them to play well for these two days, and make sure that every single player will get to play in the games."
Representing the players, Yohei Oshima, Katsuki Matayoshi, and Yuki Matsui also took the rostrum this day. As the countless flashes of the press flickered, Manager Kokubo directly pinned a Samurai Japan badge on their suit lapels and gave them a firm handshake. Oshima, who will be playing on the national team for the first time since the Cuba game in 2012, said, shaking his fist, "As a representative of professional baseball, I want to play in a way I can be proud of. I want to come back with something good, even if it may be just one thing", while Matayoshi, in his second year of his professional career and his first time on the national team, said with a determined expression, "I consider it a true honor to be able to play with the title of Japan's national team on my shoulders, and I want to make an effort to return the favor to Manager Kokubo for selecting me through my records and results". Finally, the only teenage member of the team, Yuki Matsui, demonstrated his enthusiasm, saying, "I'm the youngest member of the team, so I want to give it my all. My specialty is to fan batters with fast balls and breaking balls, and strike the batters out. I want to face this challenge head-on, and get some strikeouts."
The team will assemble on March 8th. After the day-before practice on the 9th, they will approach the All-Euro games on the 10th and 11th (first pitch at 18:00 on both days, at Tokyo Dome). Manager Kokubo says, "I have told the members chosen for the All-Star Series last November what I am thinking, and it will be most important to share this once again in March. I want to get feedback on how the players feel about assembling before the season, while listening to the players' opinions". While raising awareness among young players that they are representing their country, he says that he will prepare for the "Premier 12" held on November 8th "after I have seen the games throughout the year", suggesting that he will invite experience-rich veterans, as well. 2015 will be a year of new challenges... And to start it off, the attention will be focused on Kokubo Japan's two-day game in March.
Conference movie
