Looking back at the Orix Buffaloes' battles in the 2020 "eBASEBALL Pro League"
table of contents
Hello, I'm Fujisawa, a public relations and recruitment officer who dyed my hair purple because I was influenced by K-POP
, a team we sponsor inProthe eBASEBALL Leagueis the second installment of our interview series with the Orix Buffaloes
Click here for the previous article
This season, the postseason was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, but the eJapan Series was successfully completed and the 2020 season of the eBASEBALL Pro League came to a close
The Orix Buffaloes finished second in the Pacific League, and we looked back on their impressive 2020 season. We spoke to four players about their unusually pre-recorded game broadcasts and their outlook for the future!
Orix Buffaloes:Seiya Ibusuki, Yu Takagawa, Yosuke Fujimoto, Kyohei Maeda
self-introduction
-First of all, please tell us about your background and how you became professionals
Ibusuki-san:I'm Seiya Ibusuki. I started playing games seriously after participating in a Power Pro tournament in 2016. With tournaments being held every year, a professional league was established, and since I hadn't been able to do very well up until then, I wanted to become a pro and become number one, so I decided to participate. I've been buying Power Pro every year since way back, but I think it was in 2016 that I started paying attention to competitive play. I think the first version I played was the PlayStation version. Around that time, I also started playing real baseball and learned the rules.
Fujimoto:My name is Yosuke Fujimoto. I'm currently 25 years old. As for how I became a professional player, I was involved in game commentary while taking the qualifiers from 2018, and I thought, "I want to play as a player myself," so I increased my practice time. After that, I participated in the 2019 season as a representative player for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and in the 2020 season as a representative player for the Orix Buffaloes. There are quite a few people who have become professional players after working as commentators, and conversely, there are also former professional players who unfortunately did not pass the draft or qualifiers and switched to commentary.
Maeda:My name is Kyohei Maeda. As for my background, I've been playing Power Pro since I was in fifth grade of elementary school, and when I was in middle school, I thought I was the best Power Pro player in the world (laughs). At the time, there was a national tournament, but you couldn't participate unless you won the lottery, and because I was a teenager, I couldn't participate due to location issues. I participated in the national tournament held in 2016, and although I lost in the first round that year, I won the national tournament the following year, in 2017. And since 2018, I've been participating in the professional league. When I was in middle school, when I played Power Pro with my friends, I was head and shoulders above the rest, so I would look out the classroom window thinking, "If there was a national tournament, I could definitely win it" (laughs). I was happy that I was able to make that dream a reality as an adult.
Takagawa:I'm Yu Takagawa. I've been playing Power Pro since I was a kid, playing with my siblings and such back then, but as I got more serious about playing real baseball in middle and high school, I stopped playing Power Pro as much. After I became an adult, my older brother became a professional Power Pro player, and while I was cheering him on, I thought I might try it myself, and as I played online matches, I started to think that I wanted to become a professional myself.
-By the way, did Fujimoto and Maeda play baseball in real life?
Fujimoto:I played soccer all the way through middle school. In middle school I got hooked on watching baseball, and in high school I did gymnastics, but even then I loved professional baseball and I would go to Jingu Stadium to watch Yakult games all the time. I thought it was about time I tried playing baseball myself, so I joined the baseball club in college. At first I started playing Power Pros, which a friend lent me, and that's how I learned the names of professional baseball players, so Power Pros was the reason I started playing baseball.
Maeda:Originally, I didn't know anything about the rules of baseball, and I wasn't particularly interested in it, but when I was in sixth grade, there was a page introducing games at the beginning of CoroCoro Comic, and Power Pro was often featured there, so I really wanted to try it. I learned the rules of baseball from Power Pro, and from there I tried playing softball and joined a casual baseball team that my friends were playing on, but there was never a time when I was really serious about playing baseball.
A look back at the 2020 eBASEBALL Pro League season
-Have you changed anything from the 2019 season in preparation for this season's games?
Ibusuki:Personally, I decided not to change my fighting style. In the 2019 season, I had a good record of 6 wins and 0 losses, so I basically decided not to change my practice or pre-game preparations. However, I did reflect on whether I should have changed my communication with my teammates, so in the 2020 season, I made an effort to talk more actively, and I made time to discuss things like analyzing our opponents and reflecting on what we learned from the previous game.
Fujimoto:Since the 2020 season was my second year, I wanted to have an advantage over the 2019 season, but I switched from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows to the Orix Buffaloes, which is quite a different team, so I couldn't do things the way I wanted at first. So I made a conscious effort to increase my tactical options when going into games. In the actual games, I was able to use tactics that were appropriate for each game, so I think it was good that I was prepared.
How do you think about tactical options?
Fujimoto:Basically, it's a baseball game, so even when I'm watching professional baseball games, I sometimes think things like, "They have this kind of strategy," or "It would be good to hit the ball in this direction in this situation," so my experiences from when I wasn't playing Power Pros are also useful. There are a lot of differences between professional baseball and Power Pros, but the tactical options are basically similar, so I think I've been influenced by it quite a bit.
Takagawa:In the 2019 season, it was my first time turning pro, and when I actually joined, I felt that my skills weren't up to par with those around me, so I was just desperately trying to get things done without much thought. But in the 2020 season, I felt more at ease, and instead of trying to make amazing plays or show off my best, I thought about "what I need to do to win." I think I was able to prepare with more composure by considering my opponents' strategies and my own shortcomings.
- Takakawa-san, you wrote that your specialty is "defensive maneuvers to snatch balls that are likely to be hit," but your batting has also been amazing this season, hasn't it?
Takagawa:In the 2019 season, I wanted to show what I could do with my hitting, but unfortunately, my level wasn't good enough, so I couldn't hit at all. We lost the first game, but there were two or three great plays by Goto Shunta, and the promotional video that was used from the second game onwards was something like, "This guy is amazing at making great plays," so I think that impression became the catchphrase for this season.
Maeda:In my case, I practiced relentlessly, and as a result, I spent two years in a state where the switch between practice and actual competition was very drastic. So when it came time for my third year, I realized that "I can't do things the same way as before." However, I didn't feel that I was inferior to other players even while practicing, so I tried not only practicing but also reading books on mental training, slightly changing my lifestyle, and changing my approach to matches, which I found to be beneficial. This season made me keenly aware of how important it is to get in shape, even in the world of esports.
How specifically did you change your approach?
Maeda:In my daily life, I usually work, so when I get home I do household chores, and then I practice Power Pro until late at night, sacrificing sleep to practice Power Pro. From the 2020 season onwards, I stopped doing that and started changing my daily life outside of gaming, such as going to bed at a set time and doing some exercise. The biggest change was that I used to be nervous until the day before a game, but I started to live my life in a more relaxed state, avoiding feeling pressure on a daily basis, and was able to approach the game with that same level of energy.
-It's also important to keep yourself in good condition in your daily life
Maeda:At 34 years old, I'm the oldest active professional player, and compared to other players in their 20s, my physical strength and reflexes are somewhat declining. Also, when I feel tired, my performance drops, so I focused on getting enough sleep and maintaining my physical condition to eliminate those issues.
-Have there been any impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the e-Climax Series?
Ibusuki:Personally, what was good was that I had time to correct my poor form this season, which was a huge advantage. Also, originally, the eClimax Series was supposed to be pre-recorded if it hadn't been postponed, but because of the break, it became a live broadcast, which I think was a good thing because it boosted my motivation and allowed people to watch it live. Personally, there weren't any downsides. Although it's not really good, the interruption gave me a good preparation period.
- I think you were probably being marked by other players, did that have any impact on you?
Ibusuki:Ah, at the opening game, Kinami of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters said something like, "I've been watching and studying you for a year" (laughs), and I thought that's what the 2020 season would be like, but in that sense, I think it's regrettable that I didn't change my strategy from the 2019 season. Because I didn't change it, there were parts where I got stuck in that trap, and since Power Pro is updated every year, I regret that I should have been more flexible and prepared.
Fujimoto:It's difficult to come up with new tactics or strategies in just one or two weeks, but we had two months and the opposing team was already decided, so we were able to try out various patterns of strategies. In particular, my pitching style changed, with a significantly reduced percentage of fastballs and an increase in breaking balls. My own strategy also changed, so I think that was a good thing.
What are your future prospects?
-Finally, please tell us your future prospects
Ibusuki:Of course, this year's event is being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, so there have been some changes, such as pre-recording, but I think having an audience and having them watch the matches live is the best option. Also, in the first tournament in 2016, there was the fun of fighting against people whose names you didn't know, so I think it's a tournament that can be enjoyed even by non-professionals, and conversely, I think it's also fun for professionals to have a one-off tournament or a stage to challenge themselves.
-Do you think the players get more excited when it's streamed live rather than pre-recorded?
Ibusuki:That's right, I think there are probably both types of people. Some people might get nervous with an audience in front of them, so they might prefer not to have a live stream, but from what I've heard from various people, it's easier for us to send out a message like, "The match is about to start. Please cheer us on!" when we have people cheering us on in real time, so I personally prefer live streams. With live streams, there are actual audience seats, and until the 2019 season, we had the opportunity to shake hands with fans who came to the match afterwards, hand out player cards, and chat with them. It made me incredibly happy when they would say things like, "Good luck," so I think it helped boost our motivation.
Fujimoto:The term "eSports" is popular, but I think the "eBASEBALL Pro League" still has relatively few fans, considering it bears the name of a professional baseball team. We have sponsors like Beyond, which are not usually seen in regular eSports, and there are quite a few people who support us because they are fans of the actual professional baseball team, the Orix Buffaloes. On the other hand, there are also people who have no interest at all or who don't like the idea of using a team's name in a game, so I would like as many professional baseball fans as possible to watch it.
Takagawa:As for playing Power Pro, I'm interested in how much stronger I can become, so I'll keep practicing and hopefully eventually become known as "the strongest player." The off-season is long, so I want to keep people interested during that time by posting on social media and doing live streams.
Maeda:I'm one of the older players, so I often think about how far I can go each year, but I don't really like it when people say it's because of my age. I think that being able to compete with younger players no matter how old you are will be a source of motivation for those who are aiming to join the professional league in the future. In the past, I played just because I wanted to win, but for the past year or two, I've thought that it would be good if I could stand in front of the younger players who will follow in my footsteps, not just for myself. I realize that I've reached an age where I think about things like that, but I want to continue playing for as long as possible, leave the rest to the younger players, and just smile as I watch them. I want to continue to be that kind of presence.
-Do you really use a lot of physical strength when practicing?
Maeda:In the past, it was normal to work until 2 AM, wake up at 6 AM, and go to work again, but since the 2020 season, it's become difficult to play games and even difficult to stay awake after midnight. It's tough to sit and stare at the game screen late at night, but I think that's something everyone has to go through. For professionals, it's important how much you can practice under those circumstances, and unlike real sports, esports has a wide age range, so I think that's what makes it interesting.
Conclusion
I was attracted to the idea that age doesn't matter in e-sports, and I also felt the depth of the game in the fact that, just like regular sports, condition is important in e-sports
To continue playing Power Pro as a professional, team communication and tactical analysis are necessary; simply being strong is not enough. If there is more communication and interaction on social media to increase the number of fans of the eBASEBALL Pro League, I think the entire esports industry will become more exciting
Since the 2020 season's games were streamed online, we were unable to interact with the audience or experience the excitement of the venue in person, but Beyond would like to work with us to find ways for players and fans to enjoy the games together, such as watching on YouTube or interacting on Twitter
Incidentally, during the off-season, the marketing team discussed what we could do with Beyond, andhaving four members of the Orix Buffaloes and Beyond's engineers play a real baseball game against each other.If we get permission, we'd like to rent a stadium and try it out (lol).
This concludes our second interview with the Orix Buffaloes!
© ORIX BUFFALOES
© NPB
© Konami Digital Entertainment
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