Golden Eagles chairman Hiroshi Mikitani is a widely known top entrepreneur in Japan. But Tuesday, he was so emotional as his ballclub finally opened its 2011 season after the massive earthquake hit the franchise's home city, Sendai.
Unlike in customary business settings, the 46-year-old Mikitani had to murmur in order to respond to reporters' questions after his Tohoku Rakuten's 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Opening Day of the NPB's 2011 season.
"It was ... pretty good as our players played full-heartedly," said Mikitani, who seemed to be slightly sobbing. "We didn't hit very well early on, but the batters were trying to manage something."