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Yomiuri Shimbun photos Left: Yusei Kikuchi tosses a ball to his son at the King of the Hill baseball facility on Sunday. Right: Hitting practice is demonstrated at the facility.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
2:00 JST, November 19, 2024
HANAMAKI, Iwate — An indoor baseball facility where locals can practice their skills opened in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday, with its funding coming entirely from major league pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
Kikuchi is a native of the prefecture’s capital, Morioka.
“Now, we have a place where we can practice baseball to our heart’s content,” 33-year-old Kikuchi, a free agent who formerly played for the Houston Astros, said at the opening ceremony.
Construction on the facility, which is called “King of the Hill,” began in February this year on land leased from Kikuchi’s alma mater, Hanamaki Higashi High School. It was completed at the end of October. The single-story facility has a total floor area of about 1,400 square meters.
The facility houses a bullpen, where up to three people can pitch at the same time, and a two-lane batting area, as well as a training gym, sauna and cafe decorated with items featuring various major league stars. The facility also is equipped with state-of-the-art machines for measuring the quality of pitches and hits.
Over 100 people attended the opening, where Kikuchi threw the ceremonial first pitch to Yusuke Chiba, 33, a catcher who played with Kikuchi when they were on the Hanamaki Higashi team.
According to K.O.H, the company that operates the facility, Kikuchi and other pro baseball players will use it for off-season training. Additionally, it will be used as a baseball school for children from preschool to junior high school. The school is scheduled to open in December and has already received more than 100 applications from children in and outside the prefecture.
“I’ve always wanted to contribute to Iwate through baseball,” said Kikuchi at a press conference. “The COVID-19 pandemic made me even more determined to create a place where we can practice baseball around the clock.”
He went on to say that his initial idea ballooned, eventually leading the facilitate to become a place that would develop young players and act as a local community center.
“I didn’t want to compromise [on the ideas],” Kikuchi said.
A junior high freshman from Kawasaki, who attended the opening ceremony with his family, said: “It’s amazing that Kikuchi has created such an awesome facility on top of doing so well in the major league. I want to be like him someday.”
