"Number 11, permanent number NO! → But no one's been wearing it for 8 years." Darvish and Otani's number as sanctuary at Nippon Ham

*This content was translated by AI.

While Nippon Ham Fighters' squad number "11" has been absent for eight years, "Veteran right-hander" Kohei Arihara (34), who joined the Softbank Hawks, has not received any offers for the assignment. Number 11 in Nippon Ham was the number that Darvish Yu (40), San Diego Padres, and Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) in turn.

Japanese media Chunichi Sports shed light on the meaning of No. 11 in the club's history through an article on the 19th, "Why Nippon Ham did not present No. 11 to Arihara."

On December 25 last year, Japanese media Sponichi Annex said, "Arihara's trip to Nippon Ham is definitive. "In order to win the recruitment match of multiple clubs, Nippon Ham moved its mind by presenting the symbolic number 11." Arihara's transfer to Nippon Ham, who was a free agent (FA), was confirmed, but the part about the uniform number was not true. He chose 74 at the joining press conference held on the 13th.

Through Chunichi Sports, a club official directly denied the 11th proposal. The official said, "We did not present an option for No. 11. Arihara also said, "I was offered various jersey numbers by the club, but I wanted to start anew with numbers that no one had. It's a number that doesn't mean anything at all," he said. Although he was recognized for both his ability and courtesy by returning to his former team on an exceptional condition of 3 billion yen (about 28 billion won) for four years, he was an exception to Nippon Ham's "sanctuary," No. 11.

The Nippon Ham club is also determined to protect the value of No. 11. A club official said, "Some call No. 11 semi-permanent, but it is not officially permanent. However, it is a special number for our club." Although it is not a permanent absence, it is actually treated as an unofficial absence that is only allowed among clubs and fans "a rookie with overwhelming talent" or "aces to write a new team's history."

Nippon-Ham players have the same reaction. Although it is off-season, Chunichi Sports asked some players who go to the ballpark and said, "If the number period is extended, it becomes a fearful number to hang. Perhaps the closest player is Hiromi Ito (29), who has played for the national team as a Nippon Ham ace.

In the end, Nippon Ham's "11" is likely to remain a "symbol of ace" with the footsteps of two giants, Darvish and Ohtani, who commanded the major leagues beyond simple numbers. Will Ohtani be able to wear No. 11, which has remained an ownerless uniform for eight years, again if he returns to Nippon Ham, the "friendly team".

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*This content was translated by AI.