Our reporter Xian Wenjing
As someone with little talent for sports, my previous understanding of baseball was limited to the flashing baton scene on TV. It wasn’t until I researched for this interview that I learned baseball, where batsmen can safely score by running back to home base, is known as the “sports of going home.”
“Going Home Exercise” – these five words feel particularly warm when spoken. especially after hearing Huadan Banma’s story, I felt this meaning was tailor-made for him. Just like the words his mother, Sang Mauji, instilled in his heart: “Leaving is to come back better.” For more than ten years,he has journeyed from a teenager ignorant of baseball on the grassland,to an athlete pursuing his dreams away from home,to a coach holding a double degree who resolutely returned,and finally fulfilled this promise of “going home” through his actions.
In Huadan Banma’s eyes, baseball is never a solitary competition, but a team standing side-by-side. He always encourages his young players to move beyond rigid positions: the pitcher should be like a decisive needle, using precise ball paths to stabilize the overall situation; the catcher should be the pitcher’s most trusted companion; and even the outfielders should understand the importance of teamwork.