The Iron Heart

[Wind Dancers]

Baseball, and athletics in general, is a very physically demanding profession, especially at a pro-level. Players do weight training, conditioning, and various other exercises to reach and maintain peak physical (and mental) performance. Some players are born athletes, naturally quick, muscular, great hand-eye coordination. Some are born at a disadvantage and have to spend their lives working harder than most to get to that level.

Kevin ‘Iron Heart’ Newton was born in Washington DC to an American father who worked as a banker, and a Japanese mother, a diplomat. Newton was always one of the bigger kids, a feature that drew the attention of many youth sports teams. Newton fell in love with baseball at a young age, and his natural leadership qualities quickly guided him into the catcher role. Always leading the charge and picking up his teammates after losses, Newton was a coach’s favorite player and even had private high schools scouting him as a 6th-grader. His father, Robert Newton, coached baseball and his mother, Akasuki, was a childhood fan of the Hanshin Tigers from her hometown of Nishinomiya. Kevin and his family would occasionally visit Japan and take in the passionate baseball fanbase in Japan. Kevin was a fan of the Edo Battousai in the Rising Sun before its closure.

In his 8th grade season, Newton has offers from various private baseball academies throughout the US. His control behind the plate, big bat, and dugout presence for a 12-13-year-old was immense. Kevin had begun weight lifting, running, and other training techniques with a personal trainer in preparation for a career in baseball. But around the start of the season, Newton complained of constantly running out of breath and light-headedness during practices and games. Initially diagnosed as exhaustion, Newton was told to take it easy for a few weeks but the problem persisted. Some days it was a problem, other days you wouldn’t know it existed. After seeing various doctors, Kevin was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, not life-threatening, but still a concern. Most concerning was that playing sports could make it worse if unattended. Kevin was devastated by the news and almost overnight saw all of his private school offers disappear.

Kevin did not intend to stop his push to a career in baseball and began taking medicine and regularly scheduled checkups with cardiologists to manage his condition while playing baseball. His coaches donned him the “Iron Heart” as a nod to his condition and his perseverance to not let it stop him. It was also a fitting nickname for the captain qualities he showed his entire life always being the heart of the teams he was on. So a successful senior season passed by with no private schools wanting to take the risk on the kid with the heart problem. But Kevin didn’t care, he just wanted to play baseball and show others what he could do. So he instead attended the public Ballou High School who had a decent baseball team. The Knights immediately rose up the HS rankings with Newton making the lineup as a freshman. Throughout his high school career, Newton continued his medications and appointments and showed universities everywhere his condition was not a problem. Not only that, Newton was a prototype team captain who could play ball and by his senior season, Kevin has many scholarships on his desk.

Newton accepted the offer from the Tulane Jade Breakers, who had just won the national championship. Kevin was a 4-year starter for the Jade Breakers and hit .347 over those seasons with 42 homeruns. He was a clear top option in the 2029 draft where he was taken 7th overall by the WinD’s. And now we are in 2034 as Kevin ‘Iron Heart’ Newton leads Toyama on their quest to their first PEBA championship. He overcame, and still deals with, a dangerous heart condition but you would never know if you watched him play or met him in person. An unwavering bulwark behind the plate leading the newest generation of Wind Dancers.