"Kept Promise Made 2 Years Ago"... Baseball Player Appears Covered in Gold Paint

Ryosuke Datsumi Appears as 'Gold-Plated Human'
"Will Wear Gold Suit Top to Bottom"
Kept Promise Made at Awards Ceremony 2 Years Ago

A Japanese baseball player has attracted attention by appearing at a professional baseball awards ceremony covered head to toe in gold paint.

According to local media including Nikkan Sports, on the 28th of last month, Tatsumi Ryosuke of the Rakuten Golden Eagles appeared at the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Golden Glove Awards ceremony completely covered in gold from head to toe. He wore a tuxedo adorned with gold sequins and had gold paint on his hair, face, and hands. Even the bow tie around his neck shone in gold.

Baseball player Tatsumi Ryosuke appeared at the awards ceremony with his entire body painted gold. TBC YouTube

The reason Tatsumi appeared as the "Golden Man" was due to a statement he made at the 2022 awards ceremony. At that time, he expressed his desire in his acceptance speech, saying, "Next time, I want to come wearing a gold suit from top to bottom." Last year, he wore a pure white suit, but this year he kept that promise.

On the day of the ceremony, Tatsumi explained, "To keep the promise I made two years ago to wear gold clothes from top to bottom, I unified both the upper and lower garments in gold." He also joked, "Because of the reflection, my skin looks gold, but it's no different from usual. It seems that the outfit and lighting make it look that way," which made the audience burst into laughter. Having won the Golden Glove for four consecutive years, he expressed his determination for the next season by saying, "I recorded 397 putouts this year, but next time I will reach 400," showing his intention to win for the fifth consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi is a regular outfielder for the Rakuten Golden Eagles. This season, he played in a personal best 143 games and recorded 158 hits, his highest number ever. His batting average also reached a personal best of 0.294. On the 26th of last month, he received the 'Best Nine,' 'Most Hits Award,' and a 'Special Award' at the NPB Awards. During the approximately five-minute award interval at the ceremony, Tatsumi showcased three different cosplay outfits: a samurai, a shogun, and the notorious British serial killer "Jack the Ripper." In an interview with local media after the ceremony, he said, "Because I promised two years ago to attend wearing gold clothes from top to bottom, I dressed up like this to liven up the atmosphere of the awards ceremony a little. I also made the decision after discussing it thoroughly with my wife."