Join the “I want to win like that at Baystars” team
Infielder Shugo Maki of DeNA, who contributed to the victory of the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) as a member of Samurai Japan, joined the team on the 26th before the opening game against Seibu at the Belluna Dome.
Maki has a .200 batting average (3 hits in 15 at-bats) at WBC. Along with outfielder Masanao Yoshida (Red Sox) and infielder Kazuma Okamoto (Giants), he hit the most two home runs in Samurai Japan. “I want to play next (the 6th WBC in 2026). I was on the bench at the moment of winning, but I thought it would be better to appear in the starting line,” a new goal was born.
“Masanao Yoshida swings the bat with all his strength, but I heard that he swings with all his strength during practice, so I want to incorporate that into my training,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. On the other hand, he revealed, “I was able to speak to Mr Okamoto, who I hadn’t been able to speak to in detail until now, and he was a very interesting person. I felt like he was a big brother for me. , and I got to be with him all the time.”
“This is the real season. I really wanted to win like that with the BayStars and get everyone on the mound and share the joy.”
(Hirohisa Miyawaki)
