Shōgo Noda

1.1. Childhood and Education

Noda began playing baseball at the age of five, joining the Raizan Sports Boy's baseball club. During his time at Itoshima City Maebaru Junior High School, he was a member of the Ito Baseball Club, which played hardball. Notably, at the tender age of three, his father proactively trained him to be left-handed, despite him being naturally right-handed, believing it would provide an advantage in a professional baseball career.

1.2. Amateur Baseball

Noda continued his baseball journey at Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School. In his second year, he made two relief appearances in the 92nd National High School Baseball Championship national tournament, pitching a total of 7 innings, allowing 9 hits, striking out 5, issuing 4 walks or hit-by-pitches, and recording 3 earned runs for an ERA of 3.86. In November of the same year, he started three games in the 41st Meiji Jingu Baseball Tournament, throwing 25.1 innings, giving up 22 hits, striking out 16, walking or hitting 15 batters, and allowing 6 earned runs with an ERA of 2.13. As a third-year student, he started three games in the 83rd National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, pitching 27 innings, allowing 27 hits, striking out 23, issuing 12 walks or hit-by-pitches, and recording 6 earned runs with an ERA of 2.00. His high school team was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Kagoshima Tournament during the 93rd National High School Baseball Championship. Following this, he was selected for the Japan national team in the 9th AAA Asia Baseball Championship, where he pitched 5 scoreless innings in relief against the Taiwan team. His performance in this tournament earned him a spot on the All-Star team.

After graduating from high school, Noda joined the industrial league team, Seinō Transportation baseball club. In his first year, he made a relief appearance in the first round of the 38th Intercity Baseball Championship, pitching 0.3 innings and issuing 3 walks or hit-by-pitches, allowing 1 earned run. In his fourth year, he appeared in the second round of the 86th Intercity Baseball Championship, pitching 0 innings while giving up 2 hits, 1 walk or hit-by-pitch, and 1 earned run. After being drafted in 2015, he started in the second round of the 41st Intercity Baseball Championship, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk or hit-by-pitch, and striking out 3, with 1 earned run.

2.1. Draft and Early Years (2015-2017)

Noda was selected by the Saitama Seibu Lions in the third round of the 2015 NPB draft on October 12, 2015. He signed a provisional contract with an estimated contract fee of 60.00 M JPY and an annual salary of 12.00 M JPY. He was assigned the uniform number "23". At the time of his entry into professional baseball, his height of 66 in ^{(167 cm)} made him tied for the shortest active professional pitcher, alongside Keisuke Honda and Masanori Ishikawa.

Noda made his NPB debut on June 28, 2016, after being registered on June 27, 2016. Pitching in the eighth inning against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Sapporo Dome as the third reliever, he completed 1 inning, allowing 1 hit, striking out 3, and giving up no runs. On July 3, 2016, against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Miyagi Baseball Stadium, he recorded his first career hold by pitching 0.6 innings in the fifth inning without allowing any runs. For the 2016 season, he appeared in 22 games, securing 4 holds with an ERA of 3.93. During the offseason, Noda participated in the Australian Baseball League, joining the Melbourne Aces alongside teammates Keisuke Honda and Hito Komatsuki.

2.2. Peak Performance and National Team (2017-2018)

The 2017 season saw Noda begin on the opening day roster. On May 2 against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, he was ejected in the fourth inning after hitting Akira Nakamura with a dangerous pitch near his shoulder. On September 5, 2017, against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Seibu Dome (now Belluna Dome), he earned his first professional win by pitching 0.3 innings in the seventh inning. Although he allowed the tying run, his team subsequently regained the lead. In October 2017, Noda was selected to the 2017 Asia Professional Baseball Championship Japan national team as a replacement for the injured Taisuke Yamaoka. He contributed to the team winning a gold medal in the championship.

In 2018, Noda had his most active season, appearing in a career-high 58 games, primarily as a specialist against left-handed batters. He recorded 1 win, 1 loss, 1 save, and 19 holds, significantly contributing to the Lions' league championship victory. Despite being offered a substantial raise, an estimated 75% increase to 30.00 M JPY, Noda maintained a strict self-assessment, stating that the season felt "like I was allowed to pitch" rather than a personal triumph, and he committed to striving for even greater success in the following years.

2.3. Career Decline and Retirement (2019-2020)

Noda's performance began to decline in 2019, coupled with the emergence of another left-handed pitcher, Tatsuya Ogawa. His appearances decreased to 23 games, finishing with an ERA of 3.66 and only 2 holds.

The 2020 season proved to be Noda's final year in professional baseball. On January 1, he announced his marriage to voice actress Haruka Yoshimura, expressing a heightened sense of responsibility and a desire to showcase his abilities in the first team. However, his professional performance did not align with his aspirations; he made a career-low of only 3 appearances in the first team. In the minor leagues, he pitched in 30 games, recording 1 win, 1 loss, 1 save, and a higher ERA of 5.00. Although he participated in the 17th Miyazaki Phoenix League after the season, he withdrew after only three days. On November 13, the Saitama Seibu Lions officially informed him that he would not be offered a contract for the next season. Noda had planned to donate 5.00 K JPY for every first-team appearance to the Saitama House of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, but his limited appearances meant a minimal contribution. He had hoped to increase his donations in 2021 by pitching more.

Aiming to continue his baseball career, Noda participated in the 12-team joint tryout on December 7, 2020. During the tryout, he faced three batters, allowing one hit, and recorded a top fastball speed of 86 mph ^{(138 km/h)}. Despite his efforts, no professional teams offered him a contract. Consequently, on December 14, 2020, Shōgo Noda announced his retirement from professional baseball.

2.4. Playing Style and Characteristics

Noda was a left-handed pitcher whose fastball velocity reached a maximum of 92 mph ^{(148 km/h)}. His repertoire of pitches included a slider and a shuuto (a type of sinker or screwball). A distinctive aspect of his pitching was his left-handedness, which was not natural. He was born right-handed, but his father deliberately trained him to be left-handed from a young age, believing it would be an advantage for a professional baseball career.

3.1. Career Change Motivation and Training

After concluding his professional baseball career, Noda took a part-time job selling produce at a supermarket called "My Wakuwaku Super Onitaka store" in Ichikawa, Chiba. During this time, he pursued a career in boat racing, applying for the 131st boat racer examination through a special recommendation slot, which exempts top-class athletes from the initial written test. On July 12, 2021, Noda announced that he had successfully passed the highly competitive examination, which had an approximate 30-fold difficulty rate. In October 2021, he entered the boat racer training school. At the time of his professional baseball debut, Noda weighed 121 lb ^{(55 kg)}.

Noda's transition to boat racing was exceptionally rare; he was only the second professional baseball player to do so in 74 years, following Kohei Hayase (former Hankyu Braves) in 1947. This rarity is primarily due to the stringent physical requirements for entry into boat racing, particularly for men, who must be under 69 in ^{(175 cm)} tall and weigh between 104 lb ^{(47 kg)} and 126 lb ^{(57 kg)}. Even for Noda, who was relatively small as a professional baseball player, this transition was challenging; he had to lose over 44 lb ^{(20 kg)} to meet the weight requirements for the entrance examination. Furthermore, even after admission, trainees can be expelled if deemed unsuitable for boat racing.

3.2. Boat Racer Debut and Career

On October 5, 2021, Noda officially entered the boat racer training school in Yanagawa City as a trainee for the 131st class. After successfully passing the boat racer qualification examination during his training, he graduated from the training school on September 22, 2022. He was subsequently registered as a boat racer under registration number 5259 and became affiliated with the Saitama branch. His mentor in boat racing is Hiromichi Suto, who has registration number 3983.

Noda made his professional boat racing debut on November 3, 2022, in the first race at the Toda Boat Race Course, where he finished in fourth place. On June 9, 2023, he returned to the field of his former sport, performing the ceremonial first pitch at an official Saitama Seibu Lions game, successfully throwing a no-bounce pitch. On July 8, 2023, in the first race at the Toda Boat Race Course, Noda achieved his first victory as a professional boat racer in his 101st race, executing a まくり_makuri^Japanese (turn around) from the fifth lane.

4.1. Family and Relationships

Shōgo Noda is married to the Japanese voice actress Haruka Yoshimura. Their marriage was announced on January 1, 2020. On July 13, 2021, the same day he announced his successful passing of the boat racer exam, Noda and his wife publicly announced the birth of their first child.

4.2. Social Contributions

At the age of seven months, Noda was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Fortunately, due to timely and appropriate early treatment, he experienced no lasting health complications. This personal experience motivated him to engage in philanthropic activities. In 2020, inspired by his former Saitama Seibu Lions teammates Tatsushi Masuda and Takeya Nakamura, Noda began contributing to "Saitama House," a family accommodation facility located within the Saitama Prefectural Children's Medical Center, which operates under the Ronald McDonald House Charities network. He pledged to donate 5.00 K JPY for each appearance he made in a first-team professional baseball game. While his contributions in professional baseball were limited by his reduced playing time in 2020, his commitment to social welfare highlights his compassionate nature. It is currently unclear if he continues these donations as a boat racer, although the boat racing industry does have affiliations with charitable organizations like the Nippon Foundation.

4.3. Personal Attributes and Values

Noda has expressed deep affection and loyalty for the Saitama Seibu Lions, the team he played for for five years. Following his release from the team in 2020, he shared his sentiments on social media, lamenting that his dream of continuing to play baseball exclusively for the Lions could not be realized. He publicly conveyed his profound love for the team, acknowledging the "wonderful managers, coaches, staff, beloved seniors and juniors," and especially the "beloved fans." He expressed the pain of no longer being able to play baseball alongside them, contemplating the turn of events with the phrase, "Is this life...".

5.1. Professional Baseball Statistics

5.2. Career Milestones and Honors

• First appearance**: June 28, 2016, against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Sapporo Dome, as the third reliever in the 8th inning; pitched 1 inning with no runs allowed.
• First strikeout**: June 28, 2016, against Kensuke Tanaka of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, a swinging strikeout in the 8th inning.
• First hold**: July 3, 2016, against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Rakuten Kobo Stadium Miyagi, as the second reliever in the 5th inning; pitched 0.6 innings with no runs allowed.
• First win**: September 5, 2017, against the Chiba Lotte Marines at MetLife Dome, as the second reliever in the 7th inning; pitched 0.3 innings with no runs allowed.
• First save**: July 8, 2018, against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi, as the fourth reliever in the 11th inning; pitched 0.3 innings with no runs allowed.

• National Representative Teams:**

5.3. Uniform Numbers

• 23 (2016-2020)