Thank you for using the website of the Keio-Waseda Support Committee.

 

The previousEpisode8Now, I would like to introduce Mr. Yuki Saito's time at Waseda University.

In this Episode 9, we will introduce the dramatic drama that occurred at the end of the Keio-Waseda game in the fall of 2018.

 

After winning consecutive victories in the autumn of 2017 and the spring of 2018, the cram school baseball club is heading into the fall season for the third straight victory since 1972. But many enemies stand in your way. In particular, the 3rd match against the law was a random hit, and it was a deadly fight to win with a pinch hitter goodbye HR in the 12th inning. Ahead of the final week, if we scored a point in the Keio-Waseda game, we would win the championship and win three in a row.

 

In the first game, three-year pitcher Yuki Takahashi (currently Tokyo Gas) made a good pitch and sealed the Waseda batting lineup to one point. The batting line was a series of baseball games, and he captured Waseda University's ace pitcher Kojima (currently Chiba Lotte Marines) and scored three runs. The pitching and hitting work together to raise a win, and they come very close to achieving a feat.

 

However, it is not easy to win points in the Keio-Waseda game. In the second game, the midfielder was caught by the Waseda hitters, creating a big inning in which they lost five runs. The batting lineup didn't have a chance to make one, and they lost the game without being able to catch up in the final stages.

 

An unexpected drama awaited us in the final stages of Round 3, where we desperately needed a win. Keio took the lead with Gunji (currently the Chunichi Dragons), who plays No. 4, with an HR, etc., and by the end of the 8th inning, they had a 1-point lead, and if they got 3 outs, they would win the championship. In the 9th inning, he entrusted pitcher Yuki Takahashi with starting pitcher Yuki Takahashi, but the tenacity of the Waseda batting line ended up winning out. With repeated hits and sacrifice flies, the score was tied, and a painful timely hit was allowed, allowing the comeback. The atmosphere of the stadium changed completely, and the Waseda University benches were filled with excitement. The cram school baseball club was aiming for a comeback and a goodbye win, but they were held back by the three of them and everything fell through.

 

As a result, Houdai won the championship for the first time in 12 seasons due to the winning percentage.

 

The Keio-Waseda game awaits with various dramas. The last week's battle of stubbornness often comes to an end in unexpected ways. In the next Episode 10, I will tell you about the 2020 Fall League match, the match that made me cry in one shot.