A story of No.42　―Japanese professional baseball player presented his uniform to Jackie Robinson’s second son：中日新聞Web

David Robinson, wearing Kenta’s uniform （Provided by Jun Kato）

A connection was made with a pioneer in Africa. Kenta Bright(24), an outfielder of Chunichi Dragons, wears the number “42” of Jackie Robinson, the first black American Major Leaguer. He presented his uniform to David(71), Robinson’s second son. Last December, Jun Kato(49), an interpreter for Chunichi Dragons, visited David, who lives in Tanzania, and handed it to him. Bright said that he wanted to give David a chance to see his uniform.

Bright, who was drafted first overall by Chunichi Dragons in 2022, was born to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother. He has carried the number 42 because he admires Robinson, who played an active role without giving in to racial discrimination and prejudice. He says “I want to give courage to other children who are also half-Japanese.

It was around the time when Bright joined the group that interpreter Kato learned of David’s presence in Tanzania through an acquaintance. He had been to Tanzania as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and decided to become a bridge between the two of them. He planned to visit the country as soon as the travel restrictions due to the new coronavirus were lifted.

Last December, he visited Tanzania with Bright’s uniforms and met with David, who was a guest at a local baseball tournament. He conveyed Bright’s wishes and asked him to wear the uniform. David smiled and said, “I am happy from the bottom of my heart”. Interpreter Kato remembers, “He was a dignified and thoughtful man.

Bright emphasized, “I think there are people in many countries who play baseball because they admire Jackie. I wanted to convey my feelings as one of them”. Bright, who played in 33 games last season, is now in his third year of baseball and is looking for an opportunity to make his mark in the outfield during the spring training camp in Okinawa. He said, “I have never even been to Ghana, my father’s homeland. I would like to go there someday when I achieve results that I can be proud of”. He vowed once again to do his best to make his “42” shine.

　(Chunichi Shinmbun, staff writer, Ryota Kosaka)

Chunichi Dragons　“Chunichi Dragons” is a Japanese professional baseball team based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The team was founded in 1936 and has the third-longest history in Japan. The uniform is similar to those of the Los Angeles Dodgers of the American Major League Baseball, to which Jackie Robinson once belonged and Shohei Otani has recently moved.

Because they are translated automatically by computer program, some expressions may not be accurate.