Takashi Sasaki and Kazuki Machida of the comedy duo "Evers" appeared as guests on the December 23rd episode of the TVer sports program "Good Plays and Strange Plays News Sports! on TVer."
The two members of Evers placed 4th in the finals of the M-1 Grand Prix 2024 on December 22nd, despite it being their first time competing. In this program, recorded the following day, they talked about their thoughts immediately after the heated battle and their own experiences with baseball.
"Good Plays and Funny Plays News Sports! on TVer" is updated every Monday at 6 p.m. The December 23rd episode will feature Evers' stand-up comedy routine as well as a light-hearted chat with professional baseball player Kazuhisa Ishii.
◇Evers' comment (titles omitted):
--This was your first time appearing on a sports program. How did you feel after finishing the recording?
Sasaki & Machida: I was nervous!
Machida: But I'm glad Kazuhisa Ishii was kind. When he was still active, my father was a Yakult fan, so I often watched his games. I'm glad I got to meet him today.
Sasaki: Ishii-san was funny even when he was active, but he's still funny now. He was funnier than the young comedians around here (laughs). There were times when Machida was helped by his talk, right?
Machida: That's true (laughs). Even when he pretended to be a little embarrassed, he gave it the perfect punchline, which I thought was amazing.
Sasaki: He had better intuition than Machida. When I said, "Machida, comment here!", Ishii-san commented first (laughs).
Machida: Yes, I was snatched away from him (laughs). I was nervous, but Mr. Ishii was very kind and helped me out.
--You two are baseball fans, so please tell us your favorite teams and players.
Machida: This is Kishi Takayuki from the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Sasaki: Isn't that because you helped him practice pitching during the ceremonial first pitch (at the Rakuten vs. Orix game held at Rakuten Mobile Park in September this year)?
Machida: That's great! That's also an encounter. That's also a chance to fall in love (laughs).
Sasaki: My favorite team is still Rakuten, but my favorite player is Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants. It's similar to the feeling I had when I was a kid watching Hideki Matsui. I get excited when Okamoto hits a home run.
--Your appearance comes right after a big event, but if you were to rate your appearance on "Great Plays and Funny Plays News Sports! on TVer," how would you rate it?
Machida: 95 points.
Sasaki: Expensive!
Machida: Because it was fun and I got to meet Ishii-san.
Sasaki: But when the screen showed you, you looked like you'd died.
Machida: I really have to be careful about that (laughs). I have bad eyesight, and when I concentrate, my eyes look bad.
Sasaki: This recording taught me the importance of having a proper reaction when the screen flashes to the screen.
Machida: So what score does Sasaki get?
Sasaki: 98 points.
Machida: That's more expensive than me!
Sasaki: Because of the wipe incident, I deducted two points just for that (laughs).
--You also performed a "baseball manzai" on the show. Was it a "great play"?
Machida & Sasaki: Of course, it was a great play!
--Please give a message to everyone who will be watching this program on TVer.
Machida: There are introductions to various teams and players, so I think it's a program that allows people, whether they're knowledgeable about baseball or not, to make "early discoveries" about baseball. I hope you'll watch it.
Sasaki: If you're a baseball fan, I'm sure you'll find this manzai very funny, so be sure to check it out.
Machida: It's becoming an advertisement for manzai!
