6年以上もの間、公私ともに生活を共にしてきた友人が、実は何年も自分を裏切り続けていたと突然知らされたら、どんな気持ちだろう。シビアなプロスポーツの世界で強敵としのぎを削る中、いつもそばで付き添ってくれていた人。本人が思っている以上に、その友人は心の奥まで入り込んで、支えとなっていてくれていたのではないだろうか。その唯一無二の人間が、ある日突然自分の目の前からいなくなった。大切な存在を失った空虚感に苦しむのは、これからなのだと思う。
　また激しい戦いが今年も始まった。ふとした時にその友人の不在に気づき、そのたびに悲しい気持ちになることがあるかもしれない。あれだけの実績を築いているプロフェッショナルだから、心の寂しさなどを言い訳にすることはないだろうし、できないだろうと思う。個人的な付き合いがあるわけではないので、私には彼の人となりを分かり様がないが、メディアを通して彼の立ち振る舞いを見ていると、彼は人情に篤い人間だと思われる。それも相当に。それだけに、依存症を患っているとは言え、裏切られたという事実は彼を長く苦しめると思う。大切な人を簡単に忘れられるほど、彼は薄情ではない。だからあそこまで素晴らしい成績を収められ、多くの人々から応援されるのだろう。

　ベンチに帰ってきて彼が一人で佇んでいる姿に、私は違和感を覚える。常にあの友人を伴って、iPadを見ながら自分のプレーを振り返ったり、他のプレーヤーと一緒にじゃれ合ったり、テレビを通してのそういう光景が私にとっても当たり前だった。その日常が失われてしまい、私は少しロス状態になっている。
　赤の他人の私でさえそんな感じなのだから、当の本人にとっての喪失感は計り知れない。具体的に彼の表情から笑顔が消えた。新しいチームでの緊張感や慣れない環境のせいもあるだろうが、そんな些細なことは彼にはちっとも問題ではないだろう。それよりも、一番大切だった人が消えてしまった。

　彼にとって、職業としてのベースボールとは違う次元で、人生の正念場がやってきた。肉体的にも経験値も、野球選手として脂の乗り切った最高潮時を迎えた今、最大の精神的な試練が訪れてしまった。人生とはかくも厳しいのか。
　明日から気持ちを入れ替えて、ドンドン活躍してほしいと思う。今年は、ピッチャーの役目はお休みなので、その分打って走って大暴れして欲しい。だかしかし、笑顔と躍動感が戻ってくるまでは、私は少し時間がかかると思っている。心と肉体は一体だ。

　また新しいストーリーが始まるのだと信じたい。これで圧し潰されてしまうような選手ではないと信じたい。
　ロサンゼルスの方たちにお願いしたい。どうか我らの翔平をよろしく頼む。アメリカのマスコミの人たちもファンの方たちも、そしてドジャースの関係者たちも、翔平を支えてあげてほしい。野茂英雄を愛してくださったように、大谷翔平も愛して、受け入れてあげてほしい。しばらく打てない日が続くかもしれない。そんな時だからこそ翔平をよろしく頼む。温かく見守ってあげてほしい。

　一年は、かかると思う

//////////////////

Until the day you smile again

　How would you feel if you were suddenly informed that your friend, with whom you had shared your life for more than six years, had in fact betrayed you for years? A person who had always been there for you as you competed against the best in the world of professional sports. I think his friend must have gone deeper into his heart and supported him more than he realized. One day, that one and only person suddenly disappeared from in front of your eyes. I think it is only now that he will suffer the emptiness of having lost such an important person.
　Another fierce battle has begun this year. He may suddenly notice the absence of the friend and feel sad every time he does. As a professional who has built up such a strong track record, I don’t think he would or could use loneliness of heart as an excuse. I don’t know him personally, so I have no way of knowing who he is, but from what I have seen of his behavior through the media, he seems to be a man of compassion. And quite a lot of it. So, even though the friend is suffering from addiction, the fact that he has been betrayed will torment him for a long time. He is not so heartless that he can easily forget someone he cares about. That’s why he has achieved such great results, and that’s why so many people are rooting for him.

　I feel uncomfortable when I see him standing alone after returning to the bench. He was always accompanied by his friend, looking back at his play on his iPad, joking around with other players, and such scenes on TV were the norm for me as well. I am in a bit of a state of loss because of the loss of that routine.
　Since even I, a complete stranger, feel this way, the sense of loss for the person in question is immeasurable. Specifically, the smile disappeared from his face. It may be due to the tension of the new team and the unfamiliar environment, but I don’t think such trivial things matter to him at all. More importantly, the person who was most important to him was gone.

　For him, a crucial moment in his life had arrived, on a different level than baseball as a profession. He was at the peak of his physical strength and experience as a baseball player, and now the greatest mental ordeal of his life had come. How tough life can be.
　I hope that tomorrow he will change his mindset and play an active role in the game. This year, I will not be playing the role of pitcher, so I want him to hit and run hard to make up for it. However, I think it will take some time for him to regain his smile and dynamism. The mind and body are one.

　I want to believe that a new story will begin again. I want to believe that he is not a player who will be crushed by this.
　I would like to ask the people of Los Angeles to please take good care of our Shohei. I want the American media, his fans, and the Dodgers to support him. Just as you loved Hideo Nomo, please love and accept Shohei Ohtani. There may be days when he cannot hit for a while. It is precisely at times like this that I ask you to take care of Shohei. Please watch over him warmly.

　I think it will take a year.