Learning from the Bond in The Glorious Throw Home: The Power of Inheriting a Legacy and Reclaiming a “Miracle”

Hello, everyone. I am Masaya Saito, Director of Saito Clinic of Internal Medicine.

Recently, I went to watch the highly discussed documentary movie The Glorious Throw Home (Eiko no Back Home), which captures the life of former Hanshin Tigers player Shintaro Yokota.

Faced with the cruel destiny of a brain tumor, Yokota lived by the motto “Live each day as a whole life” and never gave up until the very end. His message deeply resonated not only with many patients suffering from illness but also with the hearts of us medical professionals.

Today, through the journey of Takaya Matsutani, the rookie actor who starred as the lead in this movie, I would like to talk about the “desire for recovery” that we have once again engraved into our hearts.

■ 1．Connecting Legacies: The Cherished Glove

Takaya Matsutani, a rookie actor, played the role of Shintaro Yokota in this film.

In fact, Mr. Matsutani is also a former high school baseball player sharing the same “left-handed throw, left-handed bat” style as Yokota. Furthermore, they share a common background: Matsutani’s father was also a professional baseball player. What particularly struck a chord with me was the extraordinary passion Mr. Matsutani poured into preparing for this role.

Having deepened his connection with Yokota from the planning stages of the film, Matsutani inherited Yokota’s cherished glove. With that glove in hand, he immersed himself in grueling training, living as a live-in trainee with a corporate baseball team (the Fukuyama Rose Fighters). All of this was done to perfectly recreate that legendary, “miraculous throw home.”

To reenact that single throw into which Yokota poured his entire soul, Matsutani took up the glove—the very essence of Yokota’s spirit—and pushed his own body and mind to the absolute limit. This goes far beyond mere acting; it represents a deep bond between two individuals and a profound resolve to inherit a legacy.

■ 2．Wandering Through a Pitch-Black Sea of Anxiety

The malignant diseases Yokota fought, such as a brain tumor and bone marrow metastasis, share a similar kind of suffering with the liver cirrhosis we treat, in the sense that once they progress, it is incredibly difficult to turn back.

When diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, many patients are consumed by a deep sense of despair. It must feel as though you are trapped on a boat, endlessly wandering through a pitch-black sea with no visible horizon or direction. You cannot step off the boat, and the anxiety is overwhelming. Yet, you have no choice but to struggle, search for a path forward, and advance bit by bit.

From the patients who visit our clinic, I often hear this exact, earnest cry of the heart.

■ 3．Recovery is Not a Miracle—It is the Fruit of Your Perseverance

Just as Mr. Matsutani recreated that miraculous throw through blood, sweat, and tears, recovery from a severe illness is never an accident. Many patients reaching out to our clinic for the first time share these sentiments:

・Learning about liver regenerative medicine gave me hope to live.

・My heart, which was once filled with despair, has finally brightened up.

・I was on the verge of giving up, but now I want to face my illness head-on once again.

Every time I hear these words, my heart swells with emotion. There is one thing I want to make absolutely clear to all my patients: Reclaiming your liver’s vitality through regenerative medicine is not some random miracle.

It is the direct result of your refusal to give up, your patience, and your dedication to continuing treatment. It is the definition of your own hard work. Just as that miraculous throw home was the culmination of the combined efforts of Shintaro Yokota and Takaya Matsutani, who inherited his spirit, your liver regaining its strength is proof of the days you spent resolutely pushing forward.

■ 4．We Hope to Be the Light that Illuminates the Dark Sea

If you are currently feeling isolated in that dark sea, please do not suffer alone. Reach out to us. At Saito Clinic of Internal Medicine, we deeply desire to be the light that illuminates that pitch-black sea, guiding you and seeking a path forward together.

We, too, hold the motto “Live each day as a whole life.”

Tomorrow should be better than today, and the day after better than tomorrow. To ensure we move in a positive direction, we will steadily and surely support your recovery, step by step without rushing.

Saito Clinic of Internal Medicine Director, Masaya Saito