Sources: Daily Sports (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
The Hanshin Tigers returned to the field on Wednesday after nearly three weeks of inactivity. Workouts have been staggered and limited to fewer players than usual. After having three players test positive for COVID-19 at the end of March (off the field), extra precautionary measures are being taken by the club.
Media has also been restricted to doing online Q & A sessions with players. Here are some snippets of the comments that players made after their initial workouts earlier this week.
Kosuke Fukudome: I first want to apologize to everyone, from all those involved with NPB, to the Chunichi Dragons and their staff, as well as employees of the Hanshin Tigers. We have caused a lot of trouble for those around us… It was good to get out there today and move around a little… All I could think about during our time off was how we Tigers players need to be more careful than anyone out there, because it was our players who got coronavirus… We will continue to do all we can to prepare for the season.
Yusuke Ohyama: It’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to practice outdoors. I’m tired! But I also came to know just how much I love baseball, and I can’t wait for this situation to come to an end so I can get back out there and play ball… All I can do during these hard times is hope that things will get better, and keep on getting ready… and I can’t wait to see the fans again, so I am doing what I can to be ready for them when we are able to get the season started.
Ryutaro Umeno: I don’t know if this means we are making progress, but we self-isolated and now we are able to come out to Koshien and work out. I really felt joy in that… I practiced my swing (while at home), watched video footage, and as a catcher, I used the time wisely to reboot my system… I hope we are able to help out with this tough situation by collecting donations. As Fukudome said, it was our players who tested positive, and we have to take this extremely seriously and cautiously. We can only make up for it by playing good baseball.
Koji Chikamoto: I have to express my appreciation to the team staff and employees for giving us this opportunity to play baseball despite these circumstances. I will put in a full effort to make sure that I am not getting or giving the virus to anyone… I know the fans are really looking forward to the season. But as things are now, things have to improve before we can start the season. I hope everyone else is doing their part and staying home.”
Seiya Kinami: All I’ve done my whole life is play baseball, so it felt good to be out here practicing after three weeks off… I made sure I was not around others today. When using the weight room, I disinfected whatever I used. We have to exercise precaution… It was really hard not being able to play baseball for those three weeks. I was bored at home and kept thinking about how I wanted to play baseball again… I know this is a really hard time for everyone, but let’s band together and overcome this thing, and I will do my part in playing well at Koshien for you all.
In other news, the league has agreed to delay the season even further. With the whole nation being in a state of emergency, team travel and other activities are extremely restricted, and as a result, the interleague schedule (May 27 – June 14) has been scrapped. This means that the team will not be able to host recently departed free agent Takashi Toritani and the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2020.
Finally, a bit of sad news. Former Tigers batting coach Atsushi Kataoka has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized for the past week. He revealed his status from his own YouTube channel on April 14. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.