Mr. Atsuya Furuta, who was active in professional baseball and Yakult, was invited as a temporary coach of the major league Diamondbacks and participated in a camp in Arizona.

Mr. Furuta served as a temporary coach at the Yakult camp held in Okinawa in the beginning of this month, and since the 16th, he has been participating as a temporary coach at the Diamondbacks camp held in Arizona, USA.



Mr. Furuta did not play in the major leagues because the manager of the Diamondbacks, Lobro, who was a colleague of Mr. Furuta and Yakult in 2000, requested a temporary coach to spread Mr. Furuta's high technique and way of thinking about baseball to the team. It is unusual for a Japanese professional baseball player to serve as a temporary coach.



Wearing the red Diamondbacks team wear, Mr. Furuta observed the catcher's defensive practice and bullpen pitching practice, as well as showing examples of how to directly catch balls of various sizes with his hands. , While interacting with the players with a smile, they conveyed their own skills and experiences.



The Diamondbacks had pitcher McGuff, who had played for Yakult for four years until last season, and he shook hands with Mr. Furuta, who he knew.



Furuta plans to coach him for about two weeks, saying, "Of course I'll teach you the techniques of a catcher, but the time-limited pitch clock introduced in the major leagues this season will change the style of baseball a little bit. What will you need? Or, I was asked to come up with an idea, so I would like to do that," he said with enthusiasm.

Unusual temporary coach realizes "promise over 23 years"

Mr. Furuta's appointment as a temporary coach in the major leagues, which can be said to be unusual, was also proof that the "23-year-old promise" was realized.

Diamondbacks Manager Robro played for Yakult in 2000, but ended up with a batting average of 10% in 29 appearances, and retired from active duty in Japan that year.



From that time on, I wanted to follow the path of a coach in the United States in the future, and I told Mr. Furuta, who was the same age as me, who was active as a key player in the team, "If I manage a major league in the future, I want you to come as a coach." I mean we talked.



After coaching the Blue Jays and the Red Sox, Lobro became the manager of the Diamondbacks in 2017 and led the team to the playoffs for the first time in six years in his first year, earning the National League Manager of the Year award. was awarded.

Reflecting on his appointment in Japan, Lobro said, "At the time, Mr. Furuta was in the midst of an amazing career, so I thought, 'Who the hell is this guy, and why would he say that?' But 22 years later, when I asked him again last year, he willingly accepted.



Director Loblo was impressed by the fact that Mr. Furuta wrote down all the information in his notebook during his active career and memorized it. The importance of repeated practice and the ability to process information.I would like to continue to make offers so that Mr. Furuta will come to coach every year," he said with a smile.



In addition, Mr. Furuta said, "Manager Roblo is a serious person, and he has said that he wanted to learn Japanese baseball since he was active.I am very proud that he has fulfilled his dream and became a manager, and that I can support him in this way. I feel happy," he said.