THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
January 19, 2023 at 16:17 JST
Members of the baseball club at Tokai University Sugao Senior High School celebrate their win at the Tokyo Championship at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on Nov. 13. (Eriko Noda)
A former professional baseball player who was managing one of the top high school clubs in Japan has stepped aside after being accused of physical abuse toward one of his players, according to sources.
Hiroyasu Wakabayashi, 56, is the manager of the baseball club at national powerhouse Tokai University Sugao Senior High School, known as Tokaidai Sugao, in Tokyo’s Akiruno.
According to sources at the school, Wakabayashi is believed to have physically abused the player last summer. The member has left the school.
Wakabayashi hasn’t coached the club since December, and the school reported the incident to the Japan High School Baseball Federation via the Tokyo High School Baseball Federation.
“We can’t answer questions about the details (of what occurred) as we have already reported it to the Japan High School Baseball Federation,” an official of the high school said.
Tokaidai Sugao has played in the spring and summer tournaments of the National High School Baseball Championship held at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture eight times in total.
The club won the Tokyo Championship last fall and is expected to be invited to play in this year’s spring tournament of the National High School Baseball Championship.
Wakabayashi pitched for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball after graduating from Tokai University Sagami High School and Tokai University, and serving a stint at a baseball club of Hitachi Ltd.
After retiring from NPB, he started teaching social studies at Tokai University Sugao Senior High School. He has been the manager of the school’s baseball club since 2009.
Tokaidai Sugao has qualified four times each for the spring and summer tournaments of the National High School Baseball Championship.
The school's best results with Wakabayashi at the helm are finishing in the top eight in the spring tournament in 2021 and the final four in the summer tournament in 2017.
Yuki Takahashi and Shoki Katsumata, both current members of the Yomiuri Giants professional baseball team, played for Tokaidai Sugao under Wakabayashi.
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