On June 29, Motonobu Tanishige and Tomoya Satouzaki appeared on the “Going to Patere Even on Mondays” segment of Persol’s Pacific League TV official YouTube channel. During the show, a viewer sent a comment asking the two players—both former members of the catcher—for their views on “sign stealing.”

Although sign stealing is prohibited in the professional baseball, Mr. Tanishige stated, “After all, you never know what might happen, so catcher should throw in some signs that we can’t read.”

The issue arose during the May 20 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. Fukuoka Softbank game catcher ・ Takashi Umino when Reyes was approached by a player as he stepped up to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. Although the two managers have spoken and the matter has already been resolved, misunderstandings do occasionally arise from confusing movements.

In this instance, it appeared as though the pitcher was moving based on a pitch-location sign, but Tanishige pointed out, “You just need to make movements that can fool the pitcher about the location.” Satozaki testified regarding the pitcher at the time fielder’s choice, saying, “He was moving really slowly at the end,” and Tanishige nodded in agreement, adding, “I think that’s fine. I think I have to do at least that much.”

Satozaki revealed that he had experience pointing out sign stealing via umpire. Feeling that second baseman runner ’s movements were suspicious, Satozaki explained the pitch selection and runner ’s movements to umpire. He demonstrated all the possible pitch combinations and reportedly asked, “See? They’re doing it, right? Go tell them.”

In response to that story, Mr. Tanishige said, “That’s a valid point.” As the team’s leader, he argued, “catcher has to handle that aspect,” insisting that catcher should also pay attention to what’s happening within ground to prevent sign stealing.

◇　◇　◇

“Monday on Pate-re” was launched with the hope of creating a fun experience for fans of the professional baseball and Pacific League even on Mondays, when few games are held. This week’s episode was brought to you by “B-Union,” a Japanese brand that connects players, fans, and the local community starting from the stadium, and which is also the official cap supplier for Chiba Lotte Marines.

Additionally, 10 lucky winners selected by lottery will receive a B-Union “Pateru-iki” functional cap (not for sale). Details on how to enter were announced during the broadcast.

Live Stream Program “Heading to Patele on Mondays”
・Broadcast Date: Every Monday at 9:00 PM (Scheduled to air through October during the season)
・Streaming Platform: Persol Pacific League TV Official YouTube Channel
・Cast: A different pair of former Pro baseball players appears each week
(Ryota Igarashi & Sho Nakata / Ginji & Yuji Kaneko / GG Sato & T-Okada / Motonobu Tanishige & Tomoya Satozaki)

Next week, on Monday, July 6, Ryota Igarashi and Sho Nakata are scheduled to appear. Don’t miss it!