Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, Giants farm team manager Shinnosuke Abe, three current Giants players and a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher have each been awarded the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon for making donations to help the Tokyo medical system, which has been struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, it was revealed in the Official Gazette dated Tuesday.
The three current Giants players are Hayato Sakamoto, Tomoyuki Sugano and Yoshihiro Maru. Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma retired last year.
The honor is bestowed on individuals and organizations that donate private funds to benefit the public. According to the Giants, the six donated 10 million yen each to the Tokyo metropolitan government in April last year to support medical institutions in the city.
"Baseball is supported by fans and by society," Hara said. "We would like to continue thinking about how we can use baseball to give back."
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