FUKUOKA – It was the third day of Fukuoka
summer preliminary tournament of 2024, when Yame High entered their second-round
game against Ariake Shinse High, and won with the result of 8-0. But something
odd was seen before the game started, especially when Yame team doing the knock
routine in the field.
Near the home plate, the one who
doing the knock wasn’t the one of the players in the main team or even in the dugout.
It was a girl. A girl student, that is in the same age and team as them, who
wore the same jersey from Yame High.
The third grader Kimura Rina,
although she mixed among the boys’ group, she doesn’t seem like bothered at all
about it. In fact, the boys are very cheerful to give support to her by raising
their voices from the dugout.
“Nice knock there!” as they shouting
it out many times to her. At first, she didn’t handle the knock routine so well,
but after doing it few times later, she became more skilled at handling the
knock routine for the boys. Her grounder also starts to look more faster and
stronger than she did in the first time.
Kimura was assigned to this role since last May while also recorded as one of the players in the team together with the boys. Means that she also got the tough practice everyday as well as the boys got in usual. As an experienced baseball player since she started to play it by fourth grader of elementary school, it much easier to do for now, although sometimes there are also tough times when she does the practice together with the boys.
Kimura still decided
to join the boys’ team although the rules say she can’t participate in the official
tournament games. But she only wanted to be closer with the dugout, with the
field upon her sight. As she remained with the feelings of wanted to play
together in the field, she tried her best to do what she can do for now. While
the team managed to survive to the next round, her summer is still going
forward.
(Writer: Yamamoto
Tatsuhiro / Publisher: Asahi News / Translator: Yoriko)
Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS732WBKS73TIPE012M.html