No foul play with this DIY experiment, just cheap fun.
The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. There’s nothing quite like the the sport of baseball.
Of course, our reporter Go Hatori doesn’t think so, as he’s never really played the game. However, he does quite enjoy batting cages as a sort of meditative exercise, and if he actually hits a ball well? Hey, all the better.
But dragging yourself out of the home and into the local batting cage can be a chore, so Go decided to try and make his own at home. And there was no better place to start than his home away from home, the 100 yen store.
Whether it was wigs or fake snow the 100 yen has proven to have something for literally every occasion. So, Go wasn’t terribly surprised to find a batting machine at his local Daiso too. A product this sophisticated went for a premium though, and sold for 300 yen (US$2.78) rather than the usual 100 yen ($0.93).
It was an elegantly simple device too. Go just had to push the ball down on the little plunger and it would pop up into the batter’s range.
However, this was only half of the battle. Of course Go can’t go slamming homers, touchdowns, and holes-in-one in his cramped and cluttered apartment without risking serious damage or injury. That’s why he bought this.
Although intended for growing climbing plants like cucumbers or goya, no one’s to say that these handy nets can’t be used to tame foul balls or slam dunks too. There was just one problem.
The gaps in the net were 10 by 10 centimeters which was larger than the ball. This meant the net would be useless at stopping Go’s powerful line drives and slap shots.
But it was all good because Go’s math told him that adding a second net would cut the gaps by 50 percent.
It certainly looked more stable.
And sure enough the holes were now smaller than the ball.
It was time for the kickoff!
Stadium Announcer: “Now batting: Number 51, Go HaaaaatTOOOoorrriiiiii! (‘It’s Raining Men’ plays on loudspeakers)”
Play-by-play Announcer: “Here’s the wind-up…”
“…and the pitch…”
“…it’s outta heeeeeaaaah!!!”
It was even more fun that Go had imagined it would be. Sure the bat was shorter than regulation, but as his old team manager told him, “It not the size of the bat, but what you do with it.” Go now realizes that the guy was actually hitting on him at the time, but the advice is still surprisingly relevant.
However, soon after, tragedy struck.
The net quickly proved to be almost completely ineffective at stopping Go’s blazing hat-tricks, and the balls easily flew into his kitchenette.
But to his surprise, the hollow plastic balls were so light that they harmlessly bounced off all of his possessions.
Even though he had spent 500 yen on his home batting cage, anyone else could probably do without the nets altogether and just spend the 300 on the toy. But if you insist on protection, Go recommends buying a blue tarp from the 100 yen store instead.
Now if you excuse him, our little Ichiro has to get back to his pinch hitting, drop shots, and checkmates.
Photos: ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]