阪神球団社長、辞任へ　コロナ感染者相次ぎ引責―プロ野球

　プロ野球阪神の揚塩健治球団社長が９日、チーム内で新型コロナウイルス感染者が相次いだ責任を取り、今季終了後に辞任することを明らかにした。兵庫県西宮市の球団事務所で記者会見し、「チームは戦っている最中ではあるが、私なりのけじめのつけ方としてご理解いただければと思う。申し訳ございませんでした」と謝罪した。藤原崇起オーナーに了承され、球団は１２月１日をもっての辞任と発表した。後任は未定。
　阪神では３月に藤浪晋太郎投手ら３人が新型コロナに感染。９月には主将の糸原健斗内野手ら５選手と１軍スタッフ４人の計９人の感染が判明した。同１９日に遠征先の名古屋市内で７選手と１軍スタッフ１人の計８人が、球団規定の上限４人のルールを超える人数で会食して感染者を出すなど、チーム管理の甘さが問われていた。
　この会食に参加した球界最年長の福留孝介外野手ら感染しなかった４選手についても、球団は濃厚接触者同様に扱うと判断。これらの結果、９月２５日に一挙１０人の出場選手登録が抹消された。
　大阪市内の阪神電鉄本社で取材に応じた藤原オーナーは「（球団内に）気の緩みもあったと思う。自分の役割を再確認するよう強く要請したい」と語った。（2020/10/09-22:19）

Kenji Ageshio, president of the operator of the Hanshin Tigers, said Friday that he will resign after the end of this season to take responsibility for a string of novel coronavirus infections among players and staff members of the Japanese professional baseball team.
   "Although our team is still in the middle of the season, I hope you understand that the resignation is the way I take responsibility" for the coronavirus outbreak in the team, Ageshio told a press conference at the club's office in the city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. "I am very sorry," he added.
   Takaoki Fujiwara, owner of the Tigers, one of the six teams in the Central League of the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, accepted Ageshio's resignation. The team said Ageshio will leave the post of president on Dec. 1. His successor has yet to be decided.
   In March, three Tigers players, including star pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, tested positive for the virus.
   Last month, five players, including infielder Kento Itohara, the team's captain, and four staff members of the first team, were found to be infected with the virus. The team has been under scrutiny as some of the nine were among eight Tigers members, including a first team staff worker, who dined together at a restaurant in the central Japan city of Nagoya on Sept. 19 in violation of the team's rule of limiting the number of members dining out in group to four.