The 37th episode of the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" starring Kanna Hashimoto was broadcast on November 19th. In the episode, the "true identity" of the baseball team manager of Seikawa Denki, a prestigious amateur baseball team to which Shoya (Hayato Sano) belongs, became a hot topic among viewers.
In the 37th episode, Shoya, who has joined Seikawa Denki's amateur baseball team, is practicing pitching when Matsumoto (Kenshiro Kawanishi), a reporter from Sports Kansai, who was watching, says to the manager, Nakamura Shigeharu (Yasushi Shimao), "That's great, Shoya Yotsugi. He's an immediate asset, isn't he?" Nakamura responded, "He's still thin. That's just the beginning, just the beginning."
Shimao Yasushi, who plays Nakamura, is a former professional baseball player who played for the Hanshin Tigers from 1987 to 1996. He made his acting debut in 1998 and has appeared in numerous productions, including the morning drama "Ranman" scheduled for the first half of 2023. In "Ranman," he played Toramatsu, the master brewer at "Mineya," the family sake brewery of the protagonist Mantaro (Kamiki Ryunosuke).
Shimao's impressive debut scene drew comments on social media such as, "We've seen Shimao since Ranman. He's a former player for the Hanshin Tigers," "Shimao is playing the manager! His real job!!" and "He was a pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers. Recently, he's also been working as the master brewer at the Tosa sake brewery "Mineya."
