The "2nd Rakuten Eagles Cup Mizuno Kids Baseball Tohoku Tournament", hosted by the Rakuten Eagles, was held at Shellcom Sendai on November 25th last year.The 12 teams that won each prefectural competition in the six prefectures of Tohoku competed for the championship in a round-robin tournament.We can only hope that the future star player will be born from here!

The “Kindaichi Baseball Sports Boys Team”, the first representative of Iwate Prefecture that won the championship

On this day, we were able to understand the charm of Kids’ Baseball and the great potential that is likely to support the future of the baseball world.

First off, Kids Baseball is a form of baseball targeted at children in third grade or lower, and is an adaptation of T-ball (baseball without a pitcher) for youth baseball.The Sendai City Baseball Association and the local baseball association have devised simplified rules with the aim of increasing the baseball population. These rules are designed to be enjoyable even for lower grades in elementary school.Tatsunori Sakashita, a coach at the Rakuten Eagles Academy, who is also involved in the management of the current tournament, said, “I understand that for the children, it’s not about winning or losing, but rather about having fun, and this can be a reason to continue playing Baseball.””However, by winning, it can energize the team and serve as a catalyst to continue playing baseball,” he said, discussing the significance of this tournament.With the hope of allowing children who are still unable to participate in club team games to experience the joy of matches, the Rakuten Eagles have organized a tournament.The potential of kids’ baseball is being expanded.

Sakashita also served as a referee during the match.

The attack is done by batting a ball placed on top of the T stand.Attacks are carried out sequentially from the first to the ninth, and the total score until the ninth batter’s play ends becomes the score of the inning, ending in two innings.The attack begins with the bases loaded, and the final batter’s attack is set to the standard Baseball rule of two outs.

One of the distinctive features is that everyone is guaranteed to bat at least twice, and there are no swings and misses. Therefore, there are no experiences of ‘not having a chance to participate’ or ‘not being able to hit’.It is designed to be enjoyable even for baseball beginners.This is because it is rooted in the philosophy that “not only children who are part of a baseball team, but also children who are participating for the first time can enjoy it easily.”In fact, at the Miyagi Prefecture tournament, there are teams consisting of children who do not belong to a baseball team and those who have invited their friends to participate. Sakashita said with a smile, “Although the number of baseball players and baseball teams is decreasing, the number of teams participating in the Kids Baseball Tournament is increasing year by year.”

In order to broaden the base of baseball, it’s essential to first let people actually experience and understand its fun.Kids Baseball is working to lower the barriers and open the doors wider in order to provide more opportunities for many children to get involved in Baseball.Although it is currently only being held in the Tohoku area, it is gradually spreading, and they aim to hold it in even more places in the future.The charm of this event, filled with the laughter, tears, and loud voices of the children, warmed not only the hearts of the parents but also those of the organizing and reporting teams.The day they shine wearing the Rakuten Eagles’ uniform might not be too far off, right?

“Syougen Victory”, the first representative from Miyagi Prefecture

The “FK Club”, the second representative from Aomori Prefecture

The “Sagae All Stars”, the second representatives from Yamagata Prefecture

“Towada Three ☆ Stars”, the first representative of Aomori Prefecture

The “Joban Softball Baseball Sports Boys Team”, the second representative of Fukushima Prefecture

“Okuraikkyu”, the first representative of Yamagata Prefecture

“Onahama Boys Baseball School,” the first representative of Fukushima Prefecture

“Tenno Victories Sports Boys Team”, the second representative of Akita Prefecture

“Ayashi Junior Baseball Club”, the second representative of Miyagi Prefecture

“Gosho Phoenixes”, the first representative of Akita Prefecture

The “Iioka Tigers,” the second representative of Iwate Prefecture

TEXT: Chiharu Abe
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)
PHOTO: Toshiyuki Koizumi