When it was decided that the delayed Japan pro baseball season would start in June, Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara's immediate reaction was that it meant for a very tight schedule.
"We will fall behind if players start coming down with injuries," he decided, so he put emphasis on keeping the players healthy by assigning them different roles and lessening their workloads.
The strategy paid off Friday night, when the Giants clinched their second straight Central League pennant and 38th overall. The Giants played to tie with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Tokyo Dome, but combined with a tie by the second-place Hanshin Tigers, that put them over the top.
Throughout the season whenever the Giants jumped out to a comfortable lead, Hara would pull his starters as soon as possible, even allowing them to leave the stadium before the game was over.
The veterans enthusiastically embraced this approach, vowing to give everything they had whenever they were on the field. For the younger players, it offered more opportunities for playing time that allowed them to sharpen their skills. Under the manager's policy of "team baseball," it strengthened the squad's solidarity.
Hara has been using the free messaging app LINE from last year and, prior to the start of this season, he sent messages of encouragement to Hayato Sakamoto and other players hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.
"[Messaging creates] a world of just two. I thought that by leaving a written record, my thoughts would probably carry more weight than if they were spoken," Hara said.
Hara could also crack the whip as a means of encouragement when needed, once telling a pitcher who had pitched poorly that, as he needed to make his family happy, it was embarrassing to fear his opponent.
Hara's response to the virus was also quick. He was among the first to undergo antibody testing through a doctor he knew, and suggested that the team adopt the testing regimen.
The Giants' ability to effectively adapt in a season like no other and unite as a team led to a second straight championship. An appropriate sense of accomplishment spread across the face of the commander.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
