The shocking experience of facing Masahiro Tanaka, who threw "pitches I'd never seen before"… The high school captain of Waseda Jitsugyo recalls their championship journey that began with a complete defeat.

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■夏の甲子園優勝時の主将・後藤貴司氏、高校時代を振り返る

The 2006 summer Koshien tournament saw Waseda Jitsugyo (West Tokyo), led by ace pitcher Yuki Saito, defeat Komadai Tomakomai (South Hokkaido), which was aiming for its third consecutive championship with Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (Yomiuri Giants), to claim their first title. The intense final match, which went to a replay after a 15-inning draw, is one of the most memorable moments in high school baseball history and is still talked about today.

投手の主役は青いタオルハンカチを使用して“ハンカチ王子フィーバー”を巻き起こした斎藤。野手の中心は「4番・遊撃」を務め、主将としてチームをけん引した後藤貴司氏だった。後藤氏は早大、日本製紙石巻でもプレーを続け、社会人野球3年目のオフに現役引退。現在は外資系の大手生命保険会社に勤めている。甲子園優勝から来年で20年。節目を迎える前に、早実時代を振り返った。

後藤氏は早実入学直後の1年春からベンチ入り。夏の西東京大会では試合にも出場した。早くから主力となり2年秋、新チームの主将に就任。和泉実監督からの指名だった。

「例年、下級生の時からベンチに入っている主力の選手が主将になるケースが多かったので、可能性はあるかなと思っていました。『よしっ』ていうより『大変だ』という感じでしたね」

A large group of about 80 members. It's not easy to bring them together. "Although I became captain by title, in the first meeting, I talked about how we should all work together to lead the team. I believed that if everyone had a high level of motivation, we could definitely make it to Koshien." He inspired the team by cooperating with others without being overly formal.

Having won the autumn Tokyo tournament, they secured their spot in the selection. At the Meiji Jingu tournament, they faced Komadai Tomakomai in the semifinals. The shock from that game remains unforgettable. Waseda Jitsugyo held a three-run lead by the fourth inning. However, their momentum was completely halted by Tanaka, who entered the game in the middle of the fourth inning, leading to a 3-5 comeback defeat.

The team managed only two hits off Tanaka. They struck out 13 times in 5 and 2/3 innings. "Masahiro Tanaka was simply amazing. He threw pitches I'd never seen before. His slider felt like it was curving in from third base." Tanaka was the winning pitcher in the Koshien tournament that summer. The batters from Waseda Jitsugyo couldn't get the ball in play and were thoroughly defeated.

■大きかった秋の対戦と春の経験…最高の舞台で雪辱

However, that experience proved beneficial for the team. "By competing against a national-level team, we could visualize the afterimage and understood that striving for it would bring us closer to a higher level. That was significant." They had gained a glimpse of how to achieve the title of Japan's best.

The selected Koshien tournament arrived. "For me personally, it was my first time at the coveted Koshien. My legs trembled during catch-ball. The team itself didn't shrink back, but in the first game, our play felt somewhat stiff." After a comfortable 7-0 victory against Hokkaido Eie in the first round, they drew 7-7 in the 15th inning against Kansai in the second round. They won the rematch 4-3, but were defeated by Yokohama in the quarterfinals.

引き分けを含めて4試合を戦った経験は夏につながる。西東京大会を勝ち抜いて春夏連続で甲子園出場。「春の経験もあって冷静に戦えた」という夏の甲子園は投打がかみ合って危なげなく勝ち上がった。

In the first round against Tsurusaki Kogyo, they won 13-1, followed by an 11-2 victory against Osaka Toin in the second round, and a decisive 7-1 win against Fukui Sho in the third round, advancing to the best 8 for the second consecutive spring. They came from behind in the eighth inning to secure a 5-2 win against Nichidai Yamagata in the quarterfinals, and then comfortably won 5-0 against Kagoshima Kogyo in the semifinals with a three-run homer from Mr. Goto, moving on to the final match.

The championship game against Komadai Tomakomai ended in a 1-1 tie after 15 extra innings. Having already experienced a tie and rematch in the Spring tournament, the team wasn't flustered, especially regarding Tanaka, whom they couldn't hit at all the previous autumn, the team responded cohesively, with Mr. Goto stating, "We've grown over the winter, and while Tanaka wasn't at his best, we were able to see his pitches to some extent." With Mr. Goto's timely hit, they secured a 4-3 victory in the rematch.

Certainly, the presence of ace Saitō was significant, and he reflected, "The defense was stable, centered around the absolute ace Saitō." He added, "Because we could minimize the runs we conceded and felt we could compete against any opponent, we were able to aggressively push our offense." It was a summer where pitching and hitting aligned perfectly.

秋と春の全国舞台での経験とそれまでの努力が結実。最高の舞台で駒大苫小牧への雪辱を果たし、夏は初の日本一を成し遂げたのである。

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