I’m not sure if you all followed my guide and did your part, but fans across Japan (and around the world) made their wishes known, and the result is seven… SEVEN Hanshin Tigers getting voted into the All-Star games, which will take place on July 16 and 17 (Saitama & Sendai, respectively). Keep in mind that there are still player-selected all-stars, plus those chosen by the managers. It is entirely possible that even more guys get in! For now, though, we have… Suguru Iwazaki (middle reliever), Robert Suarez (closer), Ryutaro Umeno (catcher), Jefry Marte (first base), Takumu Nakano (shortstop), Koji Chikamoto and Teruaki Sato (outfield). For the record, only four non-Tigers got voted in: Masato Morishita (starter) and Seiya Suzuki (outfield) of the Carp, and Tetsuto Yamada (second) and Munetaka Murakami (third) of the Swallows. This means NO Giants got chosen by the fans – only the third time in history this has happened and the first time since 2003.
Here is a brief video of their reactions to being chosen, followed by my loose translation. Congratulations to these awesome players! Also, thank you for your votes, H-TEN nation!
Umeno: Thank you to all the fans for voting me in. I hope you are able to see me having the time of my life out there on the field at these games. Come on out and cheer for us!
Sato: Thank you to the fans for voting. I hope to just swing like I always do, and hopefully I can hit a home run. I’ll do my best. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Marte: Thanks to the fans for giving me this opportunity. You guys and your support are a source of happiness for me. Thanks!
Iwazaki: Thanks to all who voted. I’ll do my best.
Nakano: Thank you for those who voted me into the game. I will not forget that as I am out there, and will play with appreciation for you, hopefully putting on a good show for you with some nice plays. Keep rooting for me!
Chikamoto: Thank you for the votes. It has been two years since there has been an all-star game. I will play with all my might to do what I did in 2019, giving hopes and dreams to the fans. Thank you very much!
Suarez: Fan no minasan, arigato gozaimasu!