The Rakuten Group operates under five brand concepts: "Noble Cause," "Noble Character," "Meticulous Preparation," "Unwavering Conviction," and "Unity." What if you mapped each of these five qualities to a player on the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles? Naturally, a perfect lineup emerges. "Noble Character" goes to Daichi Suzuki. As a veteran infielder who has built a solid career, his bench presence―cheering on teammates with greater vocal energy than anyone else―exudes the nobility, pride, and sincerity of a top-level athlete.

Ever since his time with the Chiba Lotte Marines, and before that at Toyo University, Suzuki has been known among baseball fans not only for his playing style but also for the sincerity of his words and conduct. While victory is his primary goal, he is equally focused on the best way to achieve it. The more talent and ability one possesses, the easier it is to become self-centered. How, then, does he maintain his professional integrity as an individual?

“I wouldn’t say of myself that I have ‘noble character,’ but I’m grateful that people would say that about me. When I reflected on my life to think about what might have led to that, if it’s true of me, one thing I can say with confidence is that everything I do comes from what I’ve learned from the people I’ve met over the years.

One was something my parents said. This was way back when I was in elementary school. At the time, I was pitching and also batting third or fourth ― essentially the center of the team ―and I was only thinking about producing results myself. Of course it didn’t always go that well. There were times when I’d be lit up from early in games, the opposing team would be leading by a huge margin, and I’d be crying at the end of the bench, sulking, feeling down.

That was when my parents told me, “You might be down because you got hit, but your friends are still out there playing their hardest, so you need to perk up too.” At the time, I thought, “I know that!” But as I got older, I came to understand just how important those words really were. It was wrong of me to sulk just because I myself couldn’t produce results, when everyone else was working so hard to win. I should have been cheering them on. Even when you’re frustrated, you’ve got to pick yourself up. That’s easy to say, but it’s easy to forget, and it’s not something that always comes easily. Even now as a professional, it remains an important reminder for me to return to my roots.

The other was meeting players after turning professional. What I’ve come to keenly appreciate in my 12th year is that players with outstanding records tend to have solid character and value their relationships with the people around them. Each player has his own distinctive playing style, but I feel that they all share the thinking that “what I’ve achieved in my current position isn’t the result of my own efforts alone.” I’ve encountered players who show it through their demeanor, and players who put it into words. On the flip side, there were also some people who were really full of themselves.

When I speak of players who have had an influence on me, I’m not talking about players who are older than me. I’ve learned a lot from younger players, too. We have a lot of talented young players on our team right now, and I get inspiration from them. When I talk to them, I think “I can’t fall behind just yet,” and at the same time, I feel that I want to move them with my actions and words, just like others have taught me. On top of that, this team has a close relationship between pitchers and fielders that transcends age differences. I joined the team back in 2019, right before the pandemic hit. Even though we couldn’t go out to eat or hang out in person, I was really impressed by how close everyone was despite the distancing.

I turned 34 this year, and I’ve noticed that I’m now closer to the top when counting from the oldest end on the team. I don’t know if I’ll always live up to the image of a ‘noble character.’ But one thing I know for sure is that I’ll never take for granted the privilege of being in the world of professional baseball. I want to keep playing with everything I have, even if it gets tough sometimes, so that I can leave something for the Eagles going forward. That would mean everything to me.”

TEXT: Chiharu Abe