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18th Apr 2014

Video: Japanese baseball player slowly grasping English gives one of the best interviews ever

While his command of the English language still needs a little working on, he more than makes up for it with his enthusiasm. What a guy.

Conor Heneghan

While his command of the English language still needs a little working on, he more than makes up for it with his enthusiasm. What a guy.

If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve probably heard of Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Munenori Kawasaki, possibly not because of his playing feats but because of a memorable interview he gave following a Blue Jays game last year in which he didn’t say much apart from his name and where he was from but did it in a manner that deservedly grabbed the hearts of Blue Jays fans.

Kawasaki hasn’t been particularly prominent since then, however, flitting back and forth between the Blue Jays and their Triple A Buffalo side before earning a recall to the squad earlier this month because of an injury to Maicer Izturis.

Kawasaki appeared in front of the cameras once again to express his happiness at returning to Toronto and, as is evident in the clip at the top of the page, his English has come on considerably and his enthusiasm hasn’t dropped one bit.

If only every sportsman could be this enthusiastic when fronting up for interviews; we need to see more of this guy in the future.

Video via YouTube/SPORTSNETCANADA