Fans pack stadiums wearing headbands. They beat drums, and fall all over themselves either when their team is doing well or it’s not producing.
“The fans are wonderful. They'll cheer no matter what you do,” notes Hiatt.
Japan's 12 teams are split into sixes in the Central and Pacific Leagues. Teams are more extensions of the big corporations that own them than
The Japanese method of playing and training can be just as foreign as the language.
"The Japanese play a small ball game. They do a lot of bunting and playing for the one-run inning," said AAA veteran and former Phillies infielder Dave Doster. "They don't count on the three-run homer like we do in the States. "Doster hit . 272 for the Yokohama BayStars in 2001.
"Their strategy is totally different," according to Goose Gossage, who was the closer for the Daiei Hawks in 1990. "If they get a guy on base in the first inning, they'll bunt him over. "
Emphasis, both from the coaches, and the fans watching, is on the cultural imperative: Team play. While Japanese teams have their stars, fans will be more critical of a player who hits well but doesn’t appear to be trying to help his team.
Coping With Life in the Fast Lane
Playing in Japan is as much a cultural adjustment off of the field. English goes out the window with everything from street signs to food in the grocery store. Young men used to the wide open spaces of Texas or even the Dominican Republic can find one of the most crowded places on Earth easily aggravating or intimidating. Japanese baseball isn't the right fit for every player, but for the ones who take it as an adventure, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
"I always said it was something I'd like to do," former Red Sox hurler Jaime Brown admits. "How many times are you going to get to go to Japan, experience the culture and get paid well to do something you love to do?"
Sushi on Home Plate
Many players fear the adjustment from American or Latin diets to Japanese cooking, but most discover that Japanese love international cuisine, and that "home cookin'" has a lot to offer.
"The manager took my wife and I to a really nice restaurant where it was $250 a plate," Phil Hiatt, a former Toledo Mud Hen turned Hanshin Tiger, remembers. "We were eating these little slices of beef, and they told us to eat them raw. We tried it. You've got to try Japanese food. "
“The food was great. I'm a big sushi person, so I loved it," Givens agreed. "They treated us very well. My family loved it.” |
