It has been revealed that Masaki Aiba will star in the film "4 Outs - Once Again, Play Ball -" (directed by Soichiro Inagaki), which depicts the world of baseball for people with disabilities. This will be Aiba's first leading role in a film in four years since "The Forest Where 'It' Is." He will play the protagonist, a former amateur baseball player who becomes the manager of a baseball team for people with disabilities.
The film is based on the novel "4 Outs - The Challenge of a Disabled Baseball Team" by author Yuzuru Hirayama (published by Chuokoron-Shinsha). The protagonist, Yagami (played by Aiba), who was cut from his corporate baseball team and gave up on his dream, finds a new job at a disabled sports center and ends up creating a disabled baseball team as its manager. The story follows the intertwined lives of people who continue to love baseball despite setbacks, as they begin their challenge to become the best in Japan at the "All-Japan Disabled Baseball Tournament." The late Shigeo Nagashima, who served as the chairman of the organizing committee for the first "World Disabled Baseball Tournament," often called "another WBC," and later as an honorary advisor, also offered enthusiastic support to the film, saying, "Never give up on challenging yourself. That's what makes life fun."
Aiba, who has experience playing baseball, practiced with his co-stars to bring realism to his role as a baseball team manager even before filming began. He received instruction in fielding drills from former Major Leaguer Toshihito Iguchi and Tomohiro Iizuka, a former member of the Japanese baseball team at the Sydney Olympics and the manager who led NTT East Japan to the national championship, before filming started. Furthermore, he practiced with the "Tokyo Blue Thunders," the team that served as the model for the story, and developed the attitude of "Yagami" towards the team members even before filming began.
Aiba commented, "There were some difficult shots to film during the match scenes, but we all worked together as a team to overcome those challenges and create the finished product, so I hope you'll look forward to the finished film."
◇Masaki Aiba's comment
When I first read the script, I was deeply moved, wondering if a non-fiction story could be so dramatic.
This project was my first encounter with the world of "baseball for people with disabilities," and I was amazed to see the players in action. Their throws were fast, their catching was excellent, and their glove handling was skillful. Each player has a different background, and there isn't a single right answer like in a textbook, but they all find their own ways to play to the best of their abilities, and there were many impressive things to see, such as the use of assistive devices.
I went out to eat with the members of the baseball team I co-starred with several times, and I feel like we were able to connect emotionally through practice sessions like fielding drills and catchball. Some of the cast members are actually members of a disabled baseball team, and they are all physically fit like athletes, so I didn't hesitate to hit ground balls for them.
I think the team's bond and teamwork grew stronger and stronger as filming progressed. We overcame some difficult shots during the match scenes together as a team, so I hope you'll look forward to the finished product.
