The perennial cellar-dwelling Yokohama BayStars might not be making headlines for their stellar performance, but several of the club's players were in the news Tuesday for an entirely different reason — their relief efforts to help out victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Team captain Shuichi Murata, catcher Shinji Niinuma as well as infielder Norihiro Nakamura, who played with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles up until last season, were among seven players who visited an evacuation site in Sendai to help encourage victims of the disaster.
Niinuma, who was born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture — one of the hardest hit areas — was shocked to witness the devastation as they drove toward the gymnasium being used as an evacuation site, where nearly 250 people are living.
"The damage left over from the disaster was worse than anything I could have imagined," said Niinuma. "I was relieved to see the smiling faces of everyone. I'd like to encourage them with my performance on the field."
The players handed out autographed balls and other baseball memorabilia to the people at the site.
The BayStars take on the Eagles at the quake-hit Kleenex Stadium in two games starting Wednesday.
"Some people told me they're rooting for Yokohama. I want to do my best," said Murata.
Nakamura, who joined Yokohama in May, is on the top team for the first time.
"I think this must be fate to be activated to the top team here (in Sendai). I want to devote myself to the game," Nakamura said.