This Hankie’s a Hit for Japan’s High School Hero
Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006

The star pitcher from Japan’s ‘Koshien’ tournament is part of the high school team that will play a Goodwill Series this weekend at USC.

An unlikely object to covet has become the rage among Japanese sports fans and the kid who unwittingly made them famous will be on the field in Los Angeles this weekend.

18-year-old Yuki Saito, who pitched his team to the championship at the national high school baseball championship on Aug. 21, is a member of a team of Japanese high school all-stars who will play a series against a squad of American teens at USC’s Dedeaux Field beginning Saturday.

The Goodwill Baseball Series XVII is presented by The Japanese Educational Resource Center in Torrance, in cooperation with Goodwill Series, Inc. The games at USC begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with opening ceremonies at noon on Saturday.

Added to the fun of this series, which has been held annually since 1983, is the mania that surrounds a simple accessory used by Saito during the tournament at Koshien Stadium near Osaka.

Saito gained attention for using a blue hand towel to wipe away sweat as he led Waseda Jitsugyo High School to a win over Komadai Tomakomai High School in the tournament final. Trend-minded Japanese sports fans picked up on the impromptu memento and the frenzy was on.

Saito not only gained instant fame by virtue of his rubber-armed pitching–he threw all 15 innings of the championship game which ended in a 1-1 tie, then all nine innings of the next day’s continuation–but also for flashing the hankie in front of a national audience of millions.

Jiji Press reported that demand has been so strong for the handkerchief, which is no longer in production and for which no inventories remain, that a single new one recently drew a bid of more than 10,000 yen in an Internet auction, against the regular retail price of 400 yen.

The hankies were manufactured by T. Nishio Co. in Osaka,  which has been flooded with inquiries about the fabric. The company reportedly started producing the handkerchief in 2001 but discontinued the line in September 2005. The terry cloth towel, originally available in blue and beige, was manufactured in China.

The Japanese press have pounced on the phenomenon, dubbing the towels “Prince Handkerchiefs.” Given Saito’s achievement and subsequent fame, the hankies are a symbol of success and perseverance in the eyes of many fans.
On Sunday, Aug. 20, the championship match was set at Koshien with two-time defending champion, Komadai Tomakomai from Hokkaido, facing Saito’s Waseda Jitsugyo for the championship.

Saito’s pitching duel with Masahiro Tanaka of the opposing team ended in a 1-1 draw after 15 innings, forcing a rematch the following day. The poker-faced Saito then picked up where he left off, throwing all nine innings the next day.

In the top of the ninth inning and Waseda leading 4-1 Monday, Ryuya Nakazawa blasted a two-run home run off Saito to bring the score to 4-3 before Saito closed out the game to give his school its first National High School Baseball title.

Waseda Jitsugyo is the same school that produced homerun king Sadaharu Oh.

Blue towels, like those used by Saito, broke the ice at a training camp in Osaka for the Japan-U.S. Goodwill Baseball Series when an Imabari Nishi player handed them out among his teammates.

However, not all players looked eager to use the hand towel that had become a symbol of the Waseda Jitsugyo pitcher.

Rival pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who pitched for second-place team Komadai Tomakomai in the final, grimaced as he received his. “I’m a bit hesitant to use this.”