Yakult Swallows Release Six Baseball Players
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The Yakult Swallows, a professional baseball team in Japan's NPB league, has announced that it will release six players. The players are pitchers Kosho Aoyagi and Reito Taguchi, along with Sho Yamanobe, Hiroki Hasegawa, Shohei Numata, and Tatsunori Negishi.
A release means the team has decided not to renew a player's contract for next season. This does not mean the players must stop playing baseball completely.
Reito Taguchi spoke about his situation after hearing the news. He said he is "not in a position to talk about money" right now. Instead, he said he wants to find a way to continue his career, possibly with a different team, and not necessarily within NPB.
Taguchi also apologized to fans, saying he felt "truly sorry." His comments suggest he understands that many supporters may be disappointed by the news.
Kosho Aoyagi and Shohei Numata were among the other players who received the same notice from the team. Details about their personal reactions were not fully reported.
As for Hiroki Hasegawa, the report notes that he appeared in only one game for the Swallows' first team this season. In Japanese baseball, teams often have both a top-level squad and a minor-league team, and playing time in the first team is seen as an important measure of a player's role.
The announcement is part of the usual end-of-season process in Japanese professional baseball, when teams review their rosters and decide which players to keep.
Vocabulary10 words
- release
- to end a player's contract with a team
- contract
- an official agreement between a player and a team
- continue his career
- keep working in the same job or sport
- first team
- the main, top-level team in a sports club
- rosters
- official lists of players on a team
- NPB
- Japan's professional baseball league
- pitcher
- a player who throws the ball in baseball
- position
- a situation someone is in
- apologize
- to say sorry
- supporters
- people who support a team, also called fans
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Six 2. He wants to find a way to keep playing, possibly outside NPB 3. One
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Yakult Swallows, a professional baseball team in Japan's NPB league, has announced that it will _____ six players.
The players are pitchers Kosho Aoyagi and Reito Taguchi, along with Sho Yamanobe, Hiroki Hasegawa, Shohei Numata, and Tatsunori _____.
A release means the team has decided not to renew a player's _____ for next season.
Reito Taguchi spoke about his situation after hearing the news. He said he is "not in a position to talk about _____" right now.
Instead, he said he wants to find a way to continue his career, possibly with a different team, and not necessarily within _____.
Taguchi also apologized to fans, saying he felt "truly _____."
Kosho Aoyagi and Shohei Numata were among the other players who received the same _____ from the team.
The report notes that he appeared in only one game for the Swallows' _____ this season.
In Japanese baseball, teams often have both a top-level squad and a minor-league team, and playing time in the first team is seen as an important measure of a player's _____.
The announcement is part of the usual end-of-season process in Japanese professional baseball, when teams review their _____ and decide which players to keep.
Discussion questions
- Why do professional sports teams release players at the end of a season?
- How do you think it feels for a player to be released after years on a team?
- Should teams give more explanation to fans when they release popular players?
- What options do professional athletes usually have after being released by a team?
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