Fubon Guardians manager Akihiro Goto found himself both amused and embarrassed on Friday after spotting a throwback poster of his younger self in a colorful superhero costume displayed on the team’s whiteboard at New Taipei City’s Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium.
The Guardians were hosting the Uni-President Lions in a regular-season matchup when coaching staff noticed the nostalgic image — a relic from Goto’s playing days with Japan’s Orix Buffaloes — prominently featured. The photo captures Goto as team captain in 2012, dressed in a red “Baseball Squadron Buffaloes” outfit alongside teammates including Yoshihisa Ishii, Chihiro Kaneko, Kazuhisa Makita, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Takahiro Nakajima, Hayato Terahara, Lee Dae-ho and his younger brother Shunta Goto, who now serves as a hitting coach for the Chinatrust Brothers.
Seeing the blast from the past, Goto laughed and said, “I felt like I was being made fun of.” He added, “Looking at it brought back memories of my younger self — I was really shy back then, and I never imagined I’d participate in something like this.”
The Guardians organization also unveiled an official Akihiro Goto supporter towel on the same day, marking the first time in team history that a manager has received such merchandise. Goto reacted with surprise and delight, saying, “I was startled when I first saw it, but I’m happy — finally, I have my own.” Yet he couldn’t support but express a lighthearted concern: “I wonder if anyone will actually buy it…”
