Since his arrival on the scene in 2016 (as far as top-squad goes), Fumihito Haraguchi has been a fan favorite. He’s been an H-TEN favorite, too. His first month as a pro was capped by being named Hitter of the Month in the Central League. He made the all-star team that year, too, and it looked like the Tigers had a bonafide slugging catcher by season’s end, which he ended with a .299 average, 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in just 364 plate appearances. Keep in mind, he had supplanted a slumping but steadily maturing Ryutaro Umeno behind the dish, and he would not be guaranteed the job moving forward.
After an unsuccessful attempt at moving over to first base in 2017, Haraguchi was used primarily as a dangerous pinch hitter in 2018, a season during which he tied the club record for most single-season pinch hits (23). That offseason, his whole life would be turned upside down, though. After being unable to shake his fatigue, he decided to have a full physical check-up during the offseason. The doctors found cancer in his stomach.
For those of you who followed along in 2019, you know that he started a Twitter account, made the announcement to the fans, and missed the first 2+ months of the season. But he came back on June 4 and hit a double off the wall in his first at-bat. A few days later, he walked a game off at Koshien Stadium in front of an emotionally-charged crowd. “Minna, tadaimaaa—–!” (I’m back, everyone!) He shouted from the hero’s podium. A month later, after being voted to the all-star team despite having done very little on the field to earn it, he hit home runs in both games.
This book is his whole life story, though, and not just the cancer diagnosis, surgery and rehabilitation process. That does take up a big chunk of the book, but the whole thing illustrates that Haraguchi is a special individual and is worthy of our admiration. I cannot give you all the details here, but some of the things I got out of the book were:
- He grew up admiring Shinnosuke Abe and the Yomiuri Giants, and was thrilled out of his socks when, in the fifth grade, he got the man’s autograph at a meet-and-greet session. He also got to talk with Abe about that at the 2016 all-star game, and the big man remembered the session (though he did not mention remembering Haraguchi).
- He had a two-hour commute to his high school. He really wanted to play for Teikyo (Tokyo) but lived in the sticks of Saitama. His parents could not move, and the school did not have a dorm. He took the very first train every morning and was never on time for morning (pre-class) practices. He stayed until the end of practice in the evening, getting home around 11 pm, at which time he regularly asked his dad to throw him some batting practice.
- He married his high school sweetheart and she sounds like a truly amazing woman. He sang her praises throughout the book, which is something I have never really read in a Japanese baseball player’s memoir book. His appreciation and love for her was refreshing and gave me an even deeper admiration for Haraguchi.
- He was very frank about his recovery process, including a lot of the hardships and trials. He also believes that it is his mission to continue to support people who are suffering from cancer. In particular, he gives to the Chemo Children’s House in Kobe at the end of each season: ¥10,000 for every hit, ¥10,000 for every RBI. The more he hits, the more he gives.
- I love Fumihito Haraguchi.
This is an outstanding and inspiring book. I recommend it to anyone who can read Japanese and wants to be inspired to keep on fighting through the hard times. Obviously, if you love the Hanshin Tigers, particularly this splendid human being, you will want to get this book and add it to your collection.