Ghost video with 3.94 million views on “Persol Pacific League TV”
Infielder Kenshi Sugitani of Nippon Ham announced on October 28 that he will retire from playing at the end of this season. The reason that he has boasted an attendance that goes beyond the figure of 777 appearances is all in his character. There are tears and laughter in the video that “Persol Pacific League TV” has released on the official YouTube. The video with 3.94 million views is “Kenshi Sugitani, the man who makes people smile with dead balls!!”
This is a scene from the game against Lotte held at Sapporo Dome on July 21, 2019. It was a game where he was appointed as a pinch hitter with two outs in the sixth inning, which was a big lead of 2- 8. The first pitch, Karakawa’s one-bound ball, hit the back of Sugitani’s right foot spike, who was standing at bat in left, and was hit by a pitch. The innings ended with just one ball, and Taiji Ota (currently DeNA) was on the bench clapping his hands and laughing.
Sugitani reluctantly heading for first base, and Ota doing a “maru” with both hands at the opposing pitcher, the fans responded, “I’m going to get hit. That’s Kenji Sugitani.” Various comments have been arranged, such as “I like this smile that Taiji Ota wants to protect.”
(Full Account editorial section)
