Major League Baseball Players in Japan – Strangers in Paradise
The final showdown of the World Baseball Classic featured two teams from
countries where baseball is a beloved sport: Cuba and Japan. Both countries
stand out for producing good players, some of whom enjoy stellar careers
In America. Currently, Ishiro and Matsui from Japan are two of the best and
more consistent players in the majors. Getting to the major leagues in the United States is
a big problem in Japan, a country that loves baseball and embraces its own
professional teams.
American teachers first introduced the game to the island country in the 1870s,
and it took root firmly. By the turn of the century, it was a sport throughout the
nation and in 1936 the first professional teams were established. The current
The professional structure was created in 1950, with teams playing in the
Pacific League or Central League.
The exchange of players between the Japanese leagues and the Major Leagues
baseball is not a one-way street. The first American to play baseball in the
The Japan of World War II was Wallace Kaname Yonamine, a Japanese Nisei
American who had played NFL football but never had a place in a Major
League baseball club. Yonamine had a career in the Hall of Fame in Japan.
When Major League Baseball players from the United States began competing in the
League, they were often at the end of their careers. In 1962, right-handed
Pitcher Don Newcombe became the first MLB player to sign and play with a
team in Japan. During his 10 years in the majors, Newcombe was 149-90
marks, with 1,129 strikeouts and a 3.56 ERA. Still the only player to win
Rookie of the year, MVP and Cy Young. Newcombe was the first of
many Americans to go to the Far East to play what many consider “the”
American sport.
In the last decade something has changed regarding the emigration of
professional players from America to Japan. The men who go to the Japanese
League are no longer at the end of their careers. Now they are, more often than
no, mid-career players who can’t seem to find a day-to-day role in a major
league team. Often these players decide to go to Japan because they will have
the opportunity to contribute every day.
Some players find a home away from home in Japan, while others go and get
some daily experience and turn that back into a starting role in
MLB. Still others struggle in their foreign environment and return looking at
He plays in the big leagues, even if he is a utility player.
Alex Cabrera is an example of the first type of player, while Lou Merloni
It seemed as if it could meet the requirements of the second category, but not quite.
take a break in Japan or make the cut when you return to your homeland.
Gabe Kapler illustrates one player in the final and least desirable of the three
groups.
First baseman Alex Cabrera, who spent nine seasons in the minors with him
Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks finally got
his chance to play the majors in 2000. In 31 games he hit 5 home runs
runs, scored 10 runs, scored 14 RBIs and racked up .262 BA. So in
2001, the Seibu Lions of the Japan Pacific League purchased their contract from the
Diamondbacks. For Cabrera it was the perfect play at the exact moment.
Cabrera immediately became a star in Japan. In his first season he hit .282 with
124 RBIs and 49 HRs. In 2002, his second season, he won the Pacific League
MVP and tied the one-season home run mark (55) set by the baby
Ruth from Japan, Sadaharu Oh. (Tuffy Rhodes, another former MLB player as well
tied the record in 2001.)
In 2004, Cabrera hit two home runs in the third game, including a grand slam and a
massive dinger in the seventh game of the Japan Series to help the Seibu Lions
defeat the Chunichi Dragons 7-2, leading their team to their first championship
since 1992.
Cabrera has a BA of .308 with 413 RBIs and 147 HRs in his first four years with
the Lions. Life is great for first baseman and he loves Japanese ball. Except
for one thing. In an interview with ESPN.com he acknowledged his frustration
for not being able to break the record set by Sadaharu Oh.
Cabrera noted: “All my teammates wanted me to break the record.
players from other teams wanted me to break it too. Pitchers want to shoot
it hits me, but the managers and coaches won’t let them. “
“They didn’t want me to get the record,” he acknowledged. “All records are for
The Japanese. The last 20 at-bats of the season, I think I only saw one strike. “
There are aspects of the game that MLB players struggle with. Cabrera
he said it very clearly, when he complained: “Here, if you hit a home run your first
at bat, you are accompanied by the next three. In America, you have a chance to hit more
home runs. They challenge you. “
In the same article, former Japanese player and current Yankee Hideki Matsui
observed, “There has been more of that kind of injustice in the past,” Matsui
he said, sympathizing with Cabrera. “But it has been declining in the last couple
years and I just hope it gets better in the future. “
Although Cabrera has found a home with the Lions, he is certainly willing to
come back and play in America. In fact, he’s eager to show he can hit.
major league curveballs, something scouts claim he can’t do, and pound over 40
Seasonal roundtrip travelers in the majors.
Lou Merloni and Gabe Kapler made their time in Japan for the same reasons
and with similar results. Merloni and Kapler were drawn to the opportunity to play
every day, something that had escaped them when they were both with him
Boston Red Sox.
In 2000, Merloni went to the Yokohama Bay Stars with the understanding that
he would be the team’s regular third baseman. But the player who was supposed
to replace decided to stay with the team, so Merloni spent much of the
season on the bench. Although he found it a frustrating season, he also
I thought it was a once in a lifetime cultural experience.
The game is pretty much the same, except there is a rule that prohibits tied games.
going more than 3 extra innings, which means that the game ends in a draw. First,
there are the pregame workouts and warm-ups, which last for hours. Then everything is
cigarette smoke – Japanese players light a lot. Also, there is the fact that
when the club is on tour, everyone must dress for the game at the hotel
because there are no visiting changing rooms.
The media never tired of asking the third baseman if he would like to marry a
Japanese woman. When Merloni answered questions, he often felt that his translator
he was editing his comments along with inquiries from journalists.
Along with being an everyday gamer, there is the downside
salary realizes a player who has been to the states. Usually they are winning six to
10 times what they made in MLB! That is a great payday. After Japan, Merloni
He returned to the Red Sox and played for them and the AAA team during the next
three seasons before going to various other major league clubs. It seemed like
could have found a starting role with San Diego in mid-2003
season, but after 65 games, he was returned to the BoSox.
Gabe Kapler was offered a similar opportunity in 2005 and, like Merloni,
I took it. With a contract valued at approximately $ 2 million, the utility gardener
I was excited to be able to play every day and experience a completely different experience
culture. But after being part of Boston’s first World Series winning team in 86
years, the Japanese ball seemed to lack the spark of the game played in its
homeland.
Overly expressive fans, rich heritage, and knock ’em were missing
knock down rivalries. Kapler also did not perform up to expectations and found himself
sitting on the bench in the second half of the season. When he returned to the
United States and was signed by Boston for the remainder of the 2005 season, was
overjoyed like many Red Sox fans, who always admired Kapler’s hustle,
work ethic and smart play.
In a strange twist of fate, the outfielder, who was on first base when Tony
Graffanino homered and broke his Achilles tendon after rounding second. Ace
Kapler lay in the path of the base unable to get up and in agonizing pain, it was clear
that his 2005 season was over.
By 2006, he was no longer on a major league roster and neither was Merloni.
who had played a useful role with Cleveland in 2004. For both players, Japan
never worked, while Alex Cabrera has accomplished more than most Japanese
players. The irony for Cabrera is that despite his winning form, the Japanese
League will never accept it. That non-acceptance, which seems to affect
every foreign player, it is one thing that definitely separates baseball in Japan from
baseball in America.
