Japanese pro baseball players host 1-day clinic

It wasn’t Shohei Ohtani, but CNMI sluggers were star-struck anyhow as two Japanese professional baseball players from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball team Yokohama DeNA Baystars, graced the youth at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Baseball Field last Saturday.

Sixteen-year veteran outfielder Taishi Ohta and rookie shortstop Takuma Hayashi, along with translator/coordinator Eini Taniguchi, held a one-day baseball clinic for 17 young ball players and taught basic defensive and offensive skills for over an hour.

The clinic’s participants ranged from the youngest at 10 years old to young adults.

Hayashi taught defense from the shortstop position—on how to set up, receive, and throw the ball properly to first base, with the help of Ohta and Taniguchi. In the batter’s box, Ohta tweaked up and refined each player’s stance and swing, with pitches from Hayashi.

Ohta and Hayashi came to Saipan last Jan. 11 to get two weeks’ worth of training done in the tropic’s warm weather and to get away from Japan’s winter season before the start of their league.

Thirty-three-year-old Ohta said he’s been to Saipan eight times already and plans on coming back as he said he likes it here. Ohta and Hayashi, through Taniguchi said, “the weather conditions here are good for them before they play in their league in February.”

The two baseball players returned to Japan last Sunday with hopes to return in the future for more training.

Jason Reyes, a 19-year-old pitcher from 2023 Tan Holdings-SBL major league season team Survivors, happened upon the clinic by chance as he was passing by.

He said of the clinic, “It’s a good thing that they came out, not only for them, but for us too to learn a little bit of their skills—especially the younger baseball players… the kids look like they’re having fun.”

From what he learned from the clinic as a pitcher, Reyes said, “It’s a good thing to learn more about fielding and batting because I needed a little bit of technique to be better.”

At the end of the clinic, the participants were treated to autographs and pictures with Ohta and Hayashi.

In the past, other professional players have made their way to the CNMI to train and set up clinics, which not only promotes sports tourism, but also helps local players gain technical skills and knowledge from them.

The clinic was organized by the Saipan Baseball League in coordination with the Northern Marianas Sports Association.