High School Days: Ohtani Shōhei and Hanamaki Higashi Manager Sasaki Hiroshi

Ohtani Shōhei while a student at Hanamaki Higashi High School. (Courtesy of the author)

Ohtani during the semifinals of the Iwate regional high school baseball tournament in July 2012. Hanamaki Higashi prevailed 9–1, but went on to lose in the final. (Courtesy of the author)

Ohtani at bat in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Iwate regional baseball tournament. (Courtesy of the author)

Ohtani (center) and Sasaki (second from left) during Hanamaki Higashi’s game against Osaka Tōin High School in the first round of the national spring invitational on March 3, 2021 at Kōshien Stadium. (© Iwate Nippō/Kyōdō)