“Happy Birthday to You.” On August 9th, pitcher Chunichi Takahashi Hiroto, who had his 23rd birthday, entered his first at-bat in the second inning, when he began playing the trumpet from the right field seats.

Hiroshima Morishita on the mound does not wear a glove and kneads the ball. Catcher Sakakura walks forward and wipes the home base and “buys time” until the performance is over. Takahashi Hiroshi took his helmet on Morishita, bowed and went to the plate again. For a moment, the entire stadium was in a blessing mood.

Of course there are mixed opinions… No, wait, two seasons later, from 2017, a designated hitter (DH) system will also be introduced in the Central League. When will pitchers appearing on the birthday be celebrated on the trumpet…

We asked Kawase Reiji (30), the captain of the Chunichi Dragons Cheering Squad, who is the one who is in charge of cheering for the right wing seats. “It's going to be the next year, so nothing has been decided yet,” he said. When they go to the starting mound, they each head over with their favorite song. At a time when your mood is at its peak, the fact that you can create a gap through the performance also creates a simmering effect. In the first place, you cannot play such a thing while the opponent is attacking.

Takahashi Hiroshi warmed up by running the outfield 40 minutes before the start of the game. At that time, not only right-wing Chunichi fans, but also left-wing Hiroshima fans, were yelling “Congratulations” and applause. I thought this was the timing, but even private cheerleaders who are allowed to perform can still perform on their own occasions, and there are rules that cannot be done on their own.

If a relief pitcher who still doesn't get to the bat is his birthday, he may celebrate his birthday after the game and performs as a second party at the time of victory. Kawase said, “It's been a lot of this recently, but I think that the entire stadium can be united during that time (while playing on birthdays). I would like to discuss with the cheer squad what to do in the future.”

By the way, what is happening in the Pacific League, which is designated hitters? We asked members of a cheerleading squad from a certain team that has been active for over 30 years. “In our team, there are no clear rules. It's like a fielder and the player on his birthday that day will perform at the first at-bat. The pitcher did what he did.” It seems difficult to play pitchers in the Pacific League unless they are at bat in interleague games or in the Japan Series.

August 9th, 2026 is Sunday. There is a possibility that Takahashi Hiroshi will be at the bat next year as well. This year, he won a stunning victory with no runs in the 8th inning and celebrated himself. Pitcher Kanamaru Yumeto (22), who is in his same grade, is his birthday on February 1st. There is almost no chance that an official match will be held. “I think pitching on my birthday would put me incredibly pressure…I don't really want to pitch,” he laughed.

There are only a few left in the season. This will be the last time a pitcher will be at the bat next year. There will probably be scenes that will no longer be seen from 2017 if you look for them. I want to look for a lot.[Chunichi contact = Ishibashi Takao]