Meet the King of Swing
Saturday, October 24th, 2015
Tricia Takanawa, Player and Media Relations
Today, I watched one of the greatest ceremonies in my lifetime. I would compare it to a war hero getting the Medal of Valor. This ceremony was for one man and one man only: Seoul Crushers RF Kiyonori Kato. Team owner Mark Kierstead gave Kato one of the highest honors a baseball player can get (besides a million-dollar raise): a nickname.
Kierstead watched Kato for many years before the Crushers finally landed him in a trade with the Kure Arsenal back in 2011. Four years have passed and Kato has blossomed into one hell of a player. The numbers do not lie: Kato has had an amazing season. He batted a BBG-leading .352, slightly off his .355 from two years ago. He more then doubled his HR count from six to 17 and batted in 85 RBI. If you look at the BBG leaderboard, you will see Kato is in the top 10 in many batting categories. Now remember he is just 23 years of age. With many years ahead of him, this would be a great time for Seoul to build a franchise around Kato.
I won’t bore you with anymore stats. Let’s hear what Kierstead had to say:
(Applause as Kierstead walks to the podium and begins his speech)
“Today I am here to honor a player whose season can be summed up not in 1,000 words but just one. What Kato has done for Seoul is unprecedented. He has taken this team from the gutters of the League of The Rising Sun to the start of 50-win seasons. He has been a leader in the clubhouse and more than once has assisted other players in batting practice. Kato has been the first to show up and the last to leave every day. He watches game film like it’s a blockbuster movie. His baseball IQ is through the roof. He always looks to improve at every at bat.”
(Kierstead motions for Kato to come to the stage. Kato gets on both knees and Kierstead begins what looks like knighting, tapping him with a baseball bat over each shoulder and saying the following:)
“Today, I grant Kiyonori Kato the following nickname: “King of Swing”. You shall carry this name for the rest of your life and show the world you are worthy of such a name. King of Swing, you may rise and let the baseball world now how you feel.”
(Applause breaks out in the audience, with everyone standing and clapping. Chants of, “Kato! Kato! Kato!” start to ring out. One woman yells, “Will you have my baby, Kato?” Kato walks to the podium and starts to talk.)
“First off, I want to thank God and my family, as I would not be where I am today without them. Secondly I want to thank Mr. Kierstead for his hard work in getting me here. To all the coaches who have helped me on the way and every player that has given tips to help my game, I thank you.
“Every player wants to be the heart and soul of a franchise, but I am not every player. I want to be more than that; I want to be the player everyone looks up to. I want to lead this team to the top and someday retire as a Crusher. What I want will not happen overnight; we all know that. The challenge will make me work even harder to help this team in the future. Thank you all for coming and have a good night.”
(Everyone one stands and starts to clap and cheer. Women have tears in their eyes, as do a few men.)
I am Tricia Takanawa, and thank you for reading.