Collecting and Translating 1981 Calbee Series 1 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my 1981 Calbee translation series. You can read the intro to the set here.

#15  Akinobu Mayumi - Infielder (Hanshin Tigers)

Mayumi’s got guts to go along with his speed, hit tool, and impregnable defense. He’ll be a driving force behind the team this year as well. 

 

 #16  Kazuo Yamane - Pitcher (Hiroshima Carp)

The confidence gained from 4 wins in the Japan Series last year should be a big plus heading into this season. Aiming at V3, Yamane will be putting everything he’s got into every pitch.

The Carp won the Japan Series in 1979 and ‘80, hence ‘V3.’ Hiroshima would not achieve V3 but did win another championship in ‘84—their last to date. The club is currently enduring NPB’s longest active title drought, and is the only NPB team to have not won a Japan Series in the 21st century.

#19  Koji Yamamoto - Outfielder (Hiroshima Carp)

A model player, Yamamoto is a triple threat at the plate, in the field, and on the basepaths. He’s aiming for the Triple Crown this season.

 

#21  Tomio Tashiro - Infielder (Taiyo Whales)

Halfway through camp we got a real taste of Tashiro when “Oba-Q” hit consecutive home runs. This season he’s aiming for the home run title.

“Oba-Q” was a nickname given to Tashiro by a coach, who thought Tashiro had a similar personality to the title character of the manga Obake no Q-Taro (Q-Taro the Ghost) about a mischievous ghost who… kind of looks like a duck or something? “Oba-Q” is the type of cutesy abbreviation that is ubiquitous in Japanese. Another famous manga, Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles) is commonly known as “Beru-Bara.” But this phenomenon is not just limited to titles or manga. In a previous post I mentioned the University of Tokyo and its futile baseball team. Officially called Tokyo Daigaku (lit. Tokyo University), the school is almost always referred to simply as “To-Dai.” Examples of this kind of thing are endless.

#23  Kazuhiko Endo - Pitcher (Taiyo Whales)

At this point, Endo is well-established as a great “stopper.” Last year he impressed by recording 16 saves and has become indispensable to his team.