Kano Page #10

concentrate on the batting.

And the next one up

is the leadoff hitter Hirano.

A silver lining appears for KANO.

The ball left the pitcher's hand.

Hirano opted for the bunt.

The catcher quickly passed

it to the first base.

Safe!

Hirano was really fast!

Runners on the first and second bases.

Up next is the power hitter So.

He still hasn't delivered a base hit today.

Go for it! Home run!

Yoshida's first pitch.

Ball.

Ball. Another ball.

Here comes Yoshida's third pitch.

Ball! Three balls now.

Is Yoshida avoiding confrontation with So?

KANO's supporters at Koshien

are shouting home runs.

Home run, home run. They're rooting for So.

Here comes Yoshida's fourth pitch.

- Ball!

- Yes!

Four balls! It's base on balls.

Bases loaded now!

Go for it, Yoshida!

Here comes KANO's opportunity.

It's their final fightback.

Yoshida seems to be affected

by the threat from the heavy hitters.

He has to do something

to take care of the next batter.

Go for it, Agematsu!

With bases loaded,

can KANO's next batter Agematsu

send the runners home?

Yoshida threw his pitch.

Struck out swinging!

One strike.

Foul ball! It counts as a strike.

It's two strikes and no balls.

Yoshida pitched the third ball.

Missed. Strikeout!

Out.

Agematsu has struck out.

Two outs!

There's only one man remaining.

Up next is Go.

Once again, the face-off between the aces.

(Greetings!)

Go for it, Akira!

Yoshida pitched the ball slowly.

- Strike!

- One strike!

The bases are loaded.

Go should choose his ball wisely.

That's right.

The second ball was pitched.

Foul ball!

Two strikes, and there's

no holding back now.

Yoshida pitches...

It's another foul ball!

Still two strikes and no balls.

Go has shown great tenacity.

He's clinging to Yoshida.

Yoshida looks tired now.

His posture seems different.

He pitches...

Ah, watch out!

The bat flew towards Yoshida.

It's another foul ball.

Go is walking slowly towards the bat.

It must hurt, right? Why don't you give up?

Do you know how to grow

big and tasty papayas?

His hand must hurt, and the

blood makes it slippery.

It seems that Go can't hold his bat still.

Hmm, it looks really painful.

Yoshida is waiting on the mound for Go.

50,000 people here are

holding their breath.

Their eyes are fixed on

what happens on the field.

Again, steadily it goes...

It's a hit!

It is flying high over the left field...

Will it land inside the walls?

Foul ball!

Go caught Yoshida's high-flying mistake,

but the timing was still too early.

Such a pity.

Hey guys.

Sing that song of yours!

One, two, three, Mr. Birdy...

flew high above the tree.

The farmers struck it down with stones.

Ah, it hurts so good!

Louder!

One, two, three, Akira...

From the KANO's dugout

come sounds of singing.

There's not a sound in the crowd.

Everyone is quietly listening.

Be at one with the ball!

Now I'm completely a KANO fan.

They come from different races,

yet they are dedicated to the same cause.

I am moved to tears by their spirit.

Be at one with the ball!

Guys...

You have really outdone yourselves.

Sir, when can we start crying?

Don't you cry at all.

Yes, sir!

KANO is... KANO is for the world!

KANO... heroes of the field...

KANO... KANO for the world...

KANO... for the world...

KANO for the world!

Line up.

Attention.

Salute!

Thank you all very much.

Let's go!

Heroes of the field... KANO for the world!

Coach Kondo led KANO

to make three more Koshien appearances.

He returned to Japan after the WWII

and coached college baseball teams.

Kondo Hyotaro died in 1966.

Go Meishou went to Waseda University

in Japan after he graduated.

In college, he scored seven home runs

in a single tournament.

Go Meishou died in 1983.

Hirano Yasuo later became KANO's pitcher.

He returned to his hometown Taitung

after graduation

and dedicated himself

to the promotion of baseball.

Hirano Yasuo (later known as Luo Bao-Nong)

died in 1982.

Liu Cang-Lin (Ryu) represented KANO again

the next year.

He played on the Post Office team and

kept his passion alive after graduation.

Liu Cang-Lin died in 2001.

So Seisei went to Yokohama City College

of Commerce after graduation.

He remained active in the baseball field

after returning home,

and was revered as one of Taiwan's

most iconic figures in baseball.

So Seisei died in 2008.

Agematsu Kouichi went to Yokohama

for advanced studies after graduation.

After the war he became the principal of

the Taitung Agricultural School,

and discovered the talent of Taiwan's

Olympic decathlete Yang Chuan-Kwang.

Agematsu (later known as Chen Geng-Yuan)

died in a car accident in 1958.

Mayama Uichi taught at the

Taitung Agricultural School after the WWII.

Later he dedicated himself to missionary

work at the Taitung Agricultural School.

Mayama (later known as Tuo Hong-Shan)

died in 2003.

Azuma Kazuhito taught in Taitung

after graduation.

His brother Azuma Kumon (Lan De-Ming)

also pitched for KANO.

Azuma Kazuhito (later known as Lan De-He)

died in 1980.

Go Ha played professional baseball in Japan

after graduation.

He became the first Taiwanese inducted

into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

Go Ha (later known as Go Shousei)

died in 1987.

Kozato Hatsuo worked at the Monopoly Bureau

of Taiwan after graduation.

He returned to Japan after the war.

Kozato Hatsuo died in 1988.

After graduation

Kawahara Nobuo

worked at the Chiayi Revenue Field Office,

while Fukushima Matao

worked at the Tainan Prefecture Government.

Both Kawahara and Fukushima

died in the South Pacific during the war.

After their debut in 1931,

KANO made three more Koshien appearances

in 1933, 1935, and 1936,

but they weren't able to reach the finals

in these attempts.

KANO was awarded the "Asahi Shimbun" trophy

in the 1931 Koshien tournament.

The trophy was lost

during the World War ll.

On November 6, 1996, So Seisei

returned to Koshien after 65 years

and accepted the trophy

remade in honor of KANO by Asahi Shimbun.

The soil of Koshien.

It's beautiful. Look!

Kids.

Do you want to play ball?

But, sir, will the ball...

Terrific!

Go!

Yes!

I'll be the first batter!

At your position, everyone.

Please let me pitch, sir!

Aim at Hirano's butt, Ryu.

Watch where you aim, Ryu.

At his butt!

You did hit it...

Hey, is that Taiwan over there?

It's the ball I hit. It's still flying!

It's Taiwan indeed!

Guys...

My fellow countrymen, we're back!

Sir...

When we get home,

will we see a crowd celebrating our return

or people with disappointment

written all over their faces?

What we'll see...

are boundless fields of

gold swaying in the wind.

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