The expectation of a 3 billion yen transfer fee... Major League debut nightmare & demotion to minors in one month. Kei Igawa's shocking downfall. The presence of Hideki Matsui, the only big star he could rely on, and the truth behind the rumors: "Was he addicted to gambling?" as revealed by Takashi Toritani... "Shikujiri Sensei"
Former Major Leaguer Kei Igawa confessed his major league failures on ABEMA's "Shikujiri Sensei." He discussed his disastrous debut, demotion to the minors after only a month despite a 3 billion yen transfer fee, the support from Hideki Matsui, a misunderstanding of his contract, and the truth behind gambling rumors revealed by Takashi Toritani, shedding light on public labels versus personal realities.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 14:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 14:34 (2 min after Collected)
The new future television "ABEMA" broadcasted the latest episode of "Shikujiri Sensei: Don't Be Like Me!!", a variety show where "shikujiri sensei" (teachers who made big mistakes in the past) reveal their blunders and impart life lessons, from 9:30 PM on Friday, May 1st.
## The expectation of a 3 billion yen transfer fee... Major League debut nightmare & demotion to minors in one month. Kei Igawa's shocking downfall.
The presence of Hideki Matsui, the only big star he could rely on, who "supported me a lot."
The episode broadcasted on Friday, May 1st, presented the latter half of the lesson "A Life Labeled Continuously" by former Major Leaguer Kei Igawa. Mr. Igawa, who challenged the Major Leagues despite being labeled a "weirdo" during his Hanshin Tigers days and signed a large contract worth approximately 3 billion yen. However, it was revealed that beyond that, an unimaginable "blunder" occurred.
Mr. Igawa, who transferred to the New York Yankees with great expectations of a 3 billion yen transfer fee, had an extremely tough start with a "5 innings, 7 earned runs" meltdown in his first appearance right after the opening. Regarding the cause, Mr. Igawa cited the environmental difference, stating that the "ball slipped and didn't grip well" due to the cold and dryness unique to New York.
After that, his adjustments did not go well, leading to a shocking development of being demoted to the minors in just one month. Talent announcer Hikarue Ijuin, who served as a support for the lesson, also stated that "It's quite rare for a player signed for tens of billions of yen on a 5-year contract to be 'demoted in one month'," and sounds of surprise spread through the studio.
Amidst this, what supported Mr. Igawa was Hideki Matsui, who was a key player for the Yankees at the time. Mr. Igawa recalled, "He supported me a lot," and "He took me out for meals, and my wife also dined with us, we became very close," revealing, "I really relied on Mr. Matsui."
## Confession of misunderstanding contract terms: "I thought I wouldn't be demoted to the minors."
Furthermore, Mr. Igawa confessed that the situation of "demotion to the minor league in one month" was a shocking development even for himself, and behind it was a "misunderstanding of contract terms." Mr. Igawa thought he had a "major league contract that wouldn't allow demotion to the minors," but it turned out that the contract allowed for minor league demotion. While revealing that he "told his agent that the amount didn't matter if it was a contract that allowed him to pitch in the majors all the time," he reflected, "there was a big misunderstanding." Mr. Igawa then imparted the lesson, "Always check your contract carefully," which drew laughter from the studio with the comment, "It's so simple."
## "Was he addicted to gambling?" Takashi Toritani reveals the rumors and truth at the time...
In addition, during the lesson, Takashi Toritani, a former Hanshin Tigers player who appeared as a student, mentioned the "rumors about Igawa" that were circulating at the time. Toritani recalled, "I heard various rumors," and revealed, "There were strange rumors going around like 'He seems to be really addicted to gambling,' or 'He says he will absolutely not pitch unless he's a starter, so he can't get to the majors.'" In response, Mr. Igawa denied, "I wasn't gambling in my first year," and asserted, "It's not gambling. It's poker," and "Poker is a sport." Yoshimura Takashi of Heisei Nobushi Kobushi quipped, "That's an excuse from someone who's doing it!", leading to an outburst of laughter in the studio.
## Studio surprised by the humiliation of "worst in the last 10 years" and unknown achievements.
And Mr. Igawa, who could not produce the desired results, was labeled as "a pitcher who can dominate in the minors but not in the majors." Furthermore, he received the humiliating evaluation of being selected as the "worst New York professional athlete of the last 10 years" by the New York Post. However, on the other hand, he steadily produced results in the minor leagues, setting a club record of 33 wins in total. Ijuin commented, "There hasn't been a player who performed so well in the minors and yet wasn't called up (to the majors)," touching upon the aspect that his ability was not properly evaluated.
In addition, he also detailed the "Major League initiation" he received at his first camp after the transfer, and the circumstances under which he was "removed from the 40-man roster." Furthermore, while he was unable to achieve the desired results, he revealed surprising "private achievements" and the reasons why he declined an offer from the Japanese baseball world in his fourth year after transferring, among other unknown behind-the-scenes stories.
The main story, which tells the full scope of Kei Igawa's "life constantly labeled," including his successes and setbacks experienced on the big stage of the Major Leagues and the real decisions behind them, is available for free viewing for 7 days after distribution. Please take a look.
(On-demand streaming URL: https://abema.go.link/deGQm)
■ABEMA "Shikujiri Sensei: Don't Be Like Me!!"
## The expectation of a 3 billion yen transfer fee... Major League debut nightmare & demotion to minors in one month. Kei Igawa's shocking downfall.
The presence of Hideki Matsui, the only big star he could rely on, who "supported me a lot."
The episode broadcasted on Friday, May 1st, presented the latter half of the lesson "A Life Labeled Continuously" by former Major Leaguer Kei Igawa. Mr. Igawa, who challenged the Major Leagues despite being labeled a "weirdo" during his Hanshin Tigers days and signed a large contract worth approximately 3 billion yen. However, it was revealed that beyond that, an unimaginable "blunder" occurred.
Mr. Igawa, who transferred to the New York Yankees with great expectations of a 3 billion yen transfer fee, had an extremely tough start with a "5 innings, 7 earned runs" meltdown in his first appearance right after the opening. Regarding the cause, Mr. Igawa cited the environmental difference, stating that the "ball slipped and didn't grip well" due to the cold and dryness unique to New York.
After that, his adjustments did not go well, leading to a shocking development of being demoted to the minors in just one month. Talent announcer Hikarue Ijuin, who served as a support for the lesson, also stated that "It's quite rare for a player signed for tens of billions of yen on a 5-year contract to be 'demoted in one month'," and sounds of surprise spread through the studio.
Amidst this, what supported Mr. Igawa was Hideki Matsui, who was a key player for the Yankees at the time. Mr. Igawa recalled, "He supported me a lot," and "He took me out for meals, and my wife also dined with us, we became very close," revealing, "I really relied on Mr. Matsui."
## Confession of misunderstanding contract terms: "I thought I wouldn't be demoted to the minors."
Furthermore, Mr. Igawa confessed that the situation of "demotion to the minor league in one month" was a shocking development even for himself, and behind it was a "misunderstanding of contract terms." Mr. Igawa thought he had a "major league contract that wouldn't allow demotion to the minors," but it turned out that the contract allowed for minor league demotion. While revealing that he "told his agent that the amount didn't matter if it was a contract that allowed him to pitch in the majors all the time," he reflected, "there was a big misunderstanding." Mr. Igawa then imparted the lesson, "Always check your contract carefully," which drew laughter from the studio with the comment, "It's so simple."
## "Was he addicted to gambling?" Takashi Toritani reveals the rumors and truth at the time...
In addition, during the lesson, Takashi Toritani, a former Hanshin Tigers player who appeared as a student, mentioned the "rumors about Igawa" that were circulating at the time. Toritani recalled, "I heard various rumors," and revealed, "There were strange rumors going around like 'He seems to be really addicted to gambling,' or 'He says he will absolutely not pitch unless he's a starter, so he can't get to the majors.'" In response, Mr. Igawa denied, "I wasn't gambling in my first year," and asserted, "It's not gambling. It's poker," and "Poker is a sport." Yoshimura Takashi of Heisei Nobushi Kobushi quipped, "That's an excuse from someone who's doing it!", leading to an outburst of laughter in the studio.
## Studio surprised by the humiliation of "worst in the last 10 years" and unknown achievements.
And Mr. Igawa, who could not produce the desired results, was labeled as "a pitcher who can dominate in the minors but not in the majors." Furthermore, he received the humiliating evaluation of being selected as the "worst New York professional athlete of the last 10 years" by the New York Post. However, on the other hand, he steadily produced results in the minor leagues, setting a club record of 33 wins in total. Ijuin commented, "There hasn't been a player who performed so well in the minors and yet wasn't called up (to the majors)," touching upon the aspect that his ability was not properly evaluated.
In addition, he also detailed the "Major League initiation" he received at his first camp after the transfer, and the circumstances under which he was "removed from the 40-man roster." Furthermore, while he was unable to achieve the desired results, he revealed surprising "private achievements" and the reasons why he declined an offer from the Japanese baseball world in his fourth year after transferring, among other unknown behind-the-scenes stories.
The main story, which tells the full scope of Kei Igawa's "life constantly labeled," including his successes and setbacks experienced on the big stage of the Major Leagues and the real decisions behind them, is available for free viewing for 7 days after distribution. Please take a look.
(On-demand streaming URL: https://abema.go.link/deGQm)
■ABEMA "Shikujiri Sensei: Don't Be Like Me!!"