It was a series last weekend. A weekend three-game set is being held at Koshien Stadium. The home team, Hanshin Tigers, welcomed the guests from Hiroshima. It’s a matchup against the Hiroshima Carp. Interest is high as it's a meeting between the top two teams in the Central League.

However, it feels strange from the start. It's an hour before the game on Friday (16th). It’s time to exchange the batting orders of both teams. The four umpires, including the chief umpire, take their positions at home plate. Then both teams submit their prepared batting orders.

In the KBO League, the coaches exchange the orders. However, in NPB, the managers do it directly. It’s considered a kind of ritual, and a courtesy to the fans. (The baseball rules state this as well. Whether in Korea or Japan, it is specified that the manager must do it directly.)

Anyway.

Isn't it the first game of a three-game series? They share a simple greeting along with handshakes. They also make a commitment to have a good game. They express gratitude to the umpires as well.

But this day is different. For some reason, the atmosphere feels 'heavy.' It's because of the visiting team manager.

The manager of the Hiroshima Carp, Takahiro Arai (48), has an expression that seems displeased. He hurriedly submits the batting order and then turns away. He pretends to shake hands. He doesn’t even make eye contact with the opposing manager.

Thanks to that, only Hanshin's manager, Kyuji Fujikawa (44), feels awkward. He came out with a bright face but had to turn around with a bewildered expression.

The same happened the next day (17th). The exchange of batting orders took place in a cold atmosphere once again. Arai's (Hiroshima) angry expression remained.

There is a presumed reason.

It was about two weeks ago. An incident occurred during the previous matchup between the two teams.

Hanshin player Seishiro Sakamoto collapsed at the plate. It was because a pitch from Hiroshima pitcher Okamoto hit him directly in the head. This is referred to as a 'headshot.'

At that time, someone from the Hanshin bench rushed out. It was Manager Fujikawa. After seemingly checking on the player, he quickly erupted in furious anger towards the opposing bench. He even gestured provocatively, saying, 'Come here right now.'

Coaches from the same team who followed him hurriedly tried to stop him. Even the player who collapsed stood up and said, 'Please don’t do that.' Still, his anger didn’t cool down. His face turned bright red.

The spectators responded as well. Booing rained down towards the opposing player. The atmosphere became increasingly rough. Players from both sides flooded onto the field. In no time, a standoff was established. A tense confrontation continued for a while.

However, it’s a relief. The situation soon calmed down. The perpetrator (the pitcher) was ejected. The victim (the batter) did not have a serious injury but was substituted with a pinch runner.

At that time, the score was 6-1. It was the bottom of the 8th inning, in which the home team was sure to win. Therefore, Fujikawa believed, 'Was there some intent from Hiroshima behind the headshot?'

A few days prior, NHK also addressed this issue. There was a point that Hanshin had received an unusually high number of hit-by-pitches from Hiroshima.

In any case, they won the game. And rookie manager Fujikawa was reevaluated due to this incident. Positive reactions like 'It was a necessary action for the team,' and 'He showed leadership' became mainstream.

On the other hand, Hiroshima's manager Arai feels he has suffered a loss. Hence, it seems he is intent on returning to Koshien Stadium for revenge.

"Why did that happen (Didn’t you greet during the order exchange)?" reporters asked after the game. He then gave this response.

"I also have a position. I am the person in charge of the team. I’m also older in age. (It seemed to refer to past events) It was not something I could simply keep to myself."

Ultimately, on the last day of the three-game set, they reconciled. They made eye contact and exchanged greetings. This scene received applause from the audience. "People around me said it didn’t look good and advised me against it. I apologize to the fans who felt uncomfortable and worried." (Arai, Hiroshima manager)

In contrast, Manager Fujikawa remains stoic. He avoids direct answers to reporters’ questions. "That topic doesn’t seem suited for a press conference. There are fans present... I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from that question," he deflected.

Arai, a former infielder, is a franchise star for Hiroshima. He excelled as a key hitter during his playing days. He transferred to Hanshin after obtaining free agent status in 2008, playing for seven seasons until 2014. This was when Fujikawa, four years his junior, was active as a closer. (The two were teammates for five years until Fujikawa entered Major League Baseball in 2013.)

A similar incident occurred in the KBO as well. Lotte was hit by a headshot against Samsung, causing controversy. Manager Tae-hyung Kim exploded in anger and rushed onto the field, leading to a scene where coaches and players desperately tried to hold him back.

Coincidentally, the outcome is good. After the headshot incident, the manager and the team that had exploded in anger maintained good performances. Lotte in the KBO climbed to 2nd place in a day.

NPB is similar. The agitated Manager Fujikawa's Hanshin also rose to 1st place after that day. Meanwhile, the leading Hiroshima fell to 2nd place. Even with Arai’s 'grudges', their performance has not yet recovered.

[OSEN]