Japanese Olympian and longtime professional player Eri Yamada announced her retirement from softball this week.
Yamada played professionally in Japan for many years and also played in the United States as part of the now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch league. Yamada was part of a group of three athletes that became the first Japanese softball players to play at the pro level in the US in 2013.
A two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Yamada was part of the championship Japanese squads in both the 2008 and 2020 Olympic Games. She was also part of Team Japan during the 2004 Athens Games and earned a bronze medal.
During her professional career domestically, Yamada played for the Chicago Bandits and the Dallas Charge.
Yamada announced her retirement in a series of social media posts on Monday, September 26th:
I, Eri Yamada, would like to announce my retirement as a professional softball player after the 2022 season.
I decided to play softball until I could no longer contribute to the softball world as a player. As I entered this season and went through practice and games, I came to think that it would be difficult to get through any further. So I came to this decision without any regrets.
I sincerely appreciate that I could belong to the professional teams, everyone who met and created Eri Yamada, and gave me a lot of valuable experience for 21 years.
Looking back at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the long-awaited gold medal to defeat the United States,And after that, I was hopeless when the softball was eliminated from the Olympic event, and there was a time when I was suffering because I didn’t know where to go…
However, softball returned to the Tokyo Olympics and we won the gold medal again…As the captain of Japanese softball team, the host nation, the added pressure was causing me to vomit and feel sick everyday. There was a huge expectation on the team and anything but the gold medal would be considered a failure. Once we won the gold medal, I was relieved of all it and it was a special feeling.
If I was alone, I would have been crushed. My teammates, supporters, and fans who supported me, I realized the real pleasure of team sports and softball at the end of active duty, and I am overflowing with gratitude.
I don’t have any regrets at all, and I’m rather happy to have lived such a wonderful playing career.
I’m not sure if there will be a return. In the future, I would like to contribute to softball by studying coaching and share what I have learned and experienced…
If there is anything that I can contribute to the revival of softball at the Olympic event, I would like to help in any activities, both domestically and internationally, I will spare no effort for that.
I will hold a press conference on October 2nd, so I hope I can talk to you again everything about my career and future.
I will do my best to impress people who support me for the rest of the season. Well, I am going to win with my teammates, I am not alone! Thank you for your continued support.
