The owner of the Seibu Lions has apologized for the sexual assault of Hotaka Yamakawa.
“The president of the Seibu Lions sincerely apologized to Hotaka Yamakawa,”메이저놀이터 Japan’s Full Count reported on the 21st (KST).
Yamakawa is one of the “star” players in Nippon Professional Baseball. Drafted by the Seibu Lions in the second round of the 2013 draft, Yamakawa began his professional career with 14 home runs in 29 games in 2016, and became a full-fledged starter with 23 arches in 78 games in 2017.
His peak came in the 2018 season, when he played full-time. In 143 games, Yamakawa hit .298 with 47 home runs, 124 RBI, 115 runs scored, a .986 OPS, and won the home run title that year. He followed that up the next year with 43 home runs in 143 games to win the Pacific League home run title for the second straight year.
After back-to-back breakout seasons, Yamakawa had a down year in 2020 and 2021, but bounced back last year with 119 hits, 41 home runs, 90 RBIs, 62 runs scored, a .266 OPS and an .868 slugging percentage in 129 games, earning him a spot on the World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster.메이저토토사이트
Yamakawa didn’t get much of a chance to shine in the WBC, as he wasn’t a regular starter. However, he did help Japan win their third title of the tournament, which catapulted him to stardom. But the joy was short-lived. In May, the Japanese magazine Weekly Bunchun reported that “Yamakawa was being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of indecent assault.” Yamakawa responded to the allegations of sexual assault by saying, “It was Chinsan High.
Yamakawa responded, “It was a chinsanhai. I didn’t consent, but I didn’t force it,” and claimed that there was no “coercion” involved. However, the woman who claimed to have been victimized disputed Yamakawa’s claim, saying, “I refused several times, but I was pushed.” Seibu didn’t make much of a move after the report came out. However, on May 12, following an outcry from fans, the club suspended Yamakawa fro
For now, the case has been referred to prosecutors, and he has yet to return to the first team. According to Japan’s Full Count, “Yamakawa was expunged from the first team on the 12th of this month. On the 23rd, documents were sent from the Asabu Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department, and it is now being seen whether he will be prosecuted or not.”
According to Full Count, Seibu Holdings, the parent company of the Seibu Lions, held a shareholder meeting on the 21st in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Yamakawa’s case became a hot topic, and during the Q&A portion of the meeting, club president Tsuyoshi Okumura was bombarded with protests. Mr. Okumura bowed to the anger of the shareholders.
According to Full Count, Mr. Okumura said, “I am very sorry that a player was sent to jail. We apologize for the great concern and inconvenience caused to our shareholders, fans, and officials.” In response, shareholders said, “Seibu has strict discipline and a clean image among the 12 clubs. Please fire Yamakawa.”
Once Seibu sees the results of the prosecution’s investigation, they will likely take action against Yamakawa. Mr. Okumura said, “We are waiting for the prosecutor’s decision. We will listen to the judgment of the prosecutor’s office and the opinions of all parties involved before deciding how to proceed. Our organization takes this situation seriously and will once again conduct training and guidance for all players in order to restore trust.”
Meanwhile, Seibu was in fourth place, five games behind the leaders, before the loss of their No. 4 hitter, Yamakawa. However, as of the 21st, Seibu has fallen to the bottom of the Pacific League, 12 games out of first place, and last place in the interleague standings.