A Czech-born Yomiuri outfielder...Monster Sasaki hits a double at 163 km/h, changes from a foster player to a formal player to a right-winger at No. 7

Jul 12, 2025

Yomiuri switched Czech outfielder Houf from a nurturing player to a formal player on the 12th. Houf started the away game in Yokohama on the same day as the seventh right-handed pitcher. Photo source =Miuri Giants SNS

Yomiuri outfielder Houf competed in the WBC and Premier 12 for the Czech Republic. He also played in a warm-up match against the Japanese national team as part of the European national team. Photo source =Miuri Giants SNS

Hoof in outfield defense training before the game. Photo source =Miuri Giants SNS

A full-time Czech player was born in the Yomiuri Giants. Yomiuri announced on the 12th that it has converted outfielder Marek Houf (26), who was hired as a nurturing player last fall, to an official player. Houf joined the first-team squad and started the away game against the Yokohama BayStars as a seventh-right fielder. He played in his first game with the uniform number '39' instead of the uniform '037'

Houf played for the Czech Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and 2024 Premier 12. It is a familiar face to Japanese baseball fans. He made headlines when he hit a double off the Los Angeles Dodgers against the `Monster Pitcher' Loki Sasaki (L.A. Dodgers) on the WBC. He hit a 163 km/h fastball and hit it to the left-field line.

In the WBC qualifying round, he hit a batting average of 0.352-2 home runs and a slugging percentage of 0.706. In the finals, he recorded a batting average of 0.333, an on-base percentage of 0.471, and a slugging percentage of 0.417.

Houf said in an interview shortly after he hit Sasaki with a double that `I wanted to show that Europe is also playing excellent baseball.'

The Czech Republic, which has a baseball population of only 10,000, is 'baseball barren' like other European countries. The national team was formed mainly by players who enjoy baseball as a hobby. They made a strong impression on the WBC and showed their potential.

Houf signed an annual salary of 12 million yen with Yomiuri in September last year. He said "I didn't know Yomiuri put me on the list and I was honestly surprised. It is a great honor. The goal is to sign a full-time player contract, but he achieved his dream in 10 months. Houf is very happy on the 12th. I'll do my best, either on offense or defense"

Hulp, who joined the first team before the match against Yokohama on the 12th, trains before the match. Photo source =Miuri Giants SNS

Houf graduated from high school in the Czech Republic and moved to the United States. After going through college baseball, he entered the independent league and dreamed of becoming a professional player. He showed remarkable performances for the Czech Republic and Europe and took the opportunity to go to Japan.

Now we are at the starting point of Japan Dream.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.