CJ Baseball.com

JAPAN BLOG 2008

April - June

CONQUERING KITAKYUSHU

June 27th, 2008 - Kitakyushu, Japan

For those that don’t know Kitakyushu is a city about an hour’s drive from Fukuoka. The Hawks play a couple of games there every year. It’s what we foreigners call a “local stadium” or “countryside game.”

I got my first taste of Kitakyushu last season and the results were not pretty. I actually had the displeasure of pitching their twice in 2007. My results in 2 games: 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 strikeout, 5 walks and 3 runs (2 earned). There is no way to make it sound nice, I pitched awful in Kitakyushu.

When I saw this season’s schedule I saw that we were playing 3 games in Kitakyushu this year. You might be able to guess my reaction.

Places like Kitakyushu are difficult for foreigners, especially first time foreigners. The amenities are nothing like we are used to. The fields are usually very small and homerun friendly. The clubhouses, if there is one, is usually very small and don’t very much resemble a major league clubhouse. My favorite of course are the mounds, they are the biggest adjustment for a foreigner and offer the greatest discomfort. I remember thinking last year in Kitakyushu how shocked I was that they played games at fields like this and that the stats actually counted toward your professional season.

There was a point in my Japanese career when I was determined to be great at these stadiums. Later I started to think maybe I should just back off my greatest nemesis and accept this impossibility.

Our first trip to Kitakyushu this season a prayer was answered. Our starter threw a complete game and no relief pitchers were needed, most importantly not me. The next time I had sustained a minor injury (no, I wasn’t faking) and was unable to pitch. With 2 of the 3 games out of the way I was sure I was destined not to pitch in Kitakyushu in 2008 and that was just fine with me.

This last game we had a lefty starter going for us, that immediately decreased my chances of pitching because the Eagles started 9 right handed hitters. I liked my odds of getting another day off in Kitakyushu.

In the eighth inning I was called upon to warm up in the bullpen. My initial thought was “oh great!” One of relievers had gotten into trouble, he loaded the bases with no outs, the scored was tied 2-2 and sure enough I get the call to come into the game.

Bases loaded with no outs in a 2-2 game is one of the most impossible situations for a relief pitcher, now I was going to have to face this situation in Kitakyushu of all places! Warming up in the bullpen has always been one of my least favorite parts of being in Kitakyushu, the mound is pretty awful and the lighting is dim. I wasn’t feeling very good and knew I was going to have to fight myself and the circumstances to get ready to pitch in a major league baseball game.

The call comes and I make my way to the game mound and look down. The mound was an absolute mess, it looked like someone had dropped a grenade right at the bottom where the pitcher’s leg lands. I had never seen anything like it.

With my back against the wall and my team needing me there wasn’t much I could do so I took the mound, reminded myself to concentrate on making good pitches and not to let the circumstance of the field get to me.

Surprisingly it worked! I was able to work my way out of the bases loaded, no outs situation in the 8th inning and also throw a shutout inning in the 9th. We scored in the bottom of the 9th and not only did I have a good outing in Kitakyushu but I also got a win and hero of the game!

It’s hard for a relief pitcher to get hero of the game, to do it Kitakyushu for me should make you believe in miracles, because that is exactly what it was.

So I like to think I slayed the beast, the beast being the Kitakyushu pitcher’s mound. I’m not sure I’ve ever met such a challenge under extremely difficult circumstances like I was able to tonight. I was just glad to get out of there without embarrassing myself and not letting my team down.

NOW THAT WAS EXCITING!!

June 21st, 2008 - Tokyo, Japan

What a great finish to Interleague Play in 2008. Entering the last day of games there was a four way tie between the Hawks, the Giants, the Fighters and the Tigers. It was scripted perfect as those four teams were playing each other on Sunday night. We were in Tokyo playing the Giants and the Fighters were playing the Tigers at Koshien.

The tie breaker rules are kind of silly if you ask me but they worked in our favor. The rules state that if there is a tie at the end of play last season’s interleague records will be used as the tie breaker. The Fighters won interleague last year so had they won tonight they would have been champions. We had a better record than the Tigers in 2007 so we needed them to win and we had to beat the Giants to take the title. The Tigers had a 3-1 record against us in interleague this year, that’s why I say we were lucky with the tie breaker rules.

The news came through that the Tigers had beaten the Fighters. Now we controlled our own destiny. It was the 8th inning at the time and we were tied with the Giants 2-2. In the top of the 9th we played an incredible game of small ball. Giants closer Marc Kroon was on the hill for the Giants, the hardest thrower in Japan. Last time we faced him at the Yahoo! Dome he threw a 162 km (101 mph) fastball, a Japanese record.

We squeezed out an infield single followed by 2 sacrifice bunts. This was an amazing feat for us. Kroon has to be the most difficult pitcher to bunt against in NPB. With the infield drawn in and runners on 2nd and 3rd we hit a ground ball to 2B. The Giants’ second baseman made a nice play and threw home but Takeshi Tsuji had a great slide into home plate and was safe by inches.

My “nihongin tomodachi” (Japanese friend) Akihiro Yanase got the first two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Amazingly we threw out one of the Giants best base stealers for the second out. I was brought in to face a lefty to try and finish off the win.

The adrenaline I felt taking the mound was exciting. The opportunity to clinch the interleague title in Tokyo Dome was awesome. I couldn’t wait for the inning to start. I inherited a 1 ball, no strike count. I was so excited I had to remind myself to stay calm and to not try to do more than I am capable of. I was also thinking about the staff and players on the team that so badly wanted this interleague title.

If you are reading this as an American baseball fan you are probably asking yourself “what’s the big deal, who cares if you finish in first or second for interleague play?” Well, in Japan it is completely different. The NPB puts up a prize of ¥50,000,000 (about $500,000 USD) to the team that wins interleague play. I have never had a chance to get one hitter out for a half of million dollars until tonight.

After throwing 2 strikes I got the lefty pinch hitter to roll over on a cutter and hit a ground ball to our second baseman. We were Interleague Champs and that was a great feeling. It’s only mid season but for us, a team that has struggled this season, it was important. We had a chance to do something that mattered and we finished the task. We need to take this momentum into regular season play and make a charge toward the Pacific League title, the one that really matters.

What I was most impressed with was our 2 bunts in the 9th inning and our base stealer thrown out in the bottom of the 9th inning. These are the things we are going to have to do to be winners in this league.

Now four days off. For me I will enjoy an off day in Tokyo with my family. We will go see Asakusa, the Imperial Palace and the Tokyo Tower before returning to Fukuoka. Thank you Hawks’ fans in Tokyo for making this a special evening and all of you rooting us on back in Fukuoka and around Japan. We did it!!

WHAT'S IN A GLOVE?

June 6th, 2008 - Kobe, Japan

I have asked so many times since coming to this side of the world to play baseball and live a very simple question, “why?” It is a question that rarely gets a straight answer, any foreigner living in Japan knows what I am talking about.

The latest installment of my “why” questions came this week as a minor investigation was launched into the baseball glove I use in games. I have been basically been using the same Louisville Slugger glove model since I first reached the big leagues in 1995. There have been some slight variations but essentially it has been the same model, color (black) and stitching of my name and the Louisville Slugger logo in white.

After batting practice one day I was returning from a 45 minute session I had spent in an oxygen chamber (we have 3 at the Yahoo! Dome) when one of our translators informed me that an umpire was in my locker, along with my pitching coach, and took my glove. I was angry for a couple of reasons; 1) why was an umpire in our locker room? 2) Why in the world was he taking something out of my locker without my permission? Our lockers are like your desk at work or your bedroom at home. They are not available for anyone to just walk up and take anything they wish. They are private, sacred areas to us. 3) How do they know they even took the glove I use in the game? I have 4 gloves in my locker.

Instantly I went on a mission to find the umpire’s locker room and get my glove back. On the way I ran into my pitching coach who had my glove and told me I am not allowed to use this glove because of the white lettering on a black leather glove. This is the same style glove I have used over the past 1 1/2 seasons in Japan, 60 games in the majors, 23 in the minors and about 20 or so more in spring training. Over 100 games in front of official NPB umpires and now they are bringing up the legitimacy of my glove? Why now?

The style of glove is very common in the US and because of its coloring offers me no advantage as pitcher. If chose I could have yellow writing or even bright pink, which yes, you do see here, over my black glove but not white or gray. I could also use a bright blue glove, which I have seen pitchers in Japan use, even red. If I remember correctly you can’t pitch with those kinds of gloves in MLB.

At times the Japanese put a twist on the American rules of baseball but I can never seem to find a logical explanation why. The stringent balk rule is an example and now the glove color is another. A blue glove for a pitcher wearing a black, white and yellow uniform (the Hawks) stands outs much more than my black glove with my name stitched with white lettering on it. The two are not even comparable.

Yes, it’s a rule and I have to follow it, but can anyone tell me why it is a rule? What purpose does it serve? It is a part of the Japanese culture that I at times I admire and at other times I think is dangerous. Rarely is authority questioned. For me, it is one of those things I need answered. I can’t do things that seem to serve no purpose without at least asking why.

The solution? I colored in all my white lettering and stitching red. So if you see me on television with my black glove and red lettering you'll know why. I also had to color 3 of the 4 Louisville Slugger logos black on my glove because in Japan you are only allowed to have 1 logo of the glove manufacturer on your game glove.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

May 26th, 2008 - Nagoya, Japan

It has been a long time since I have updated this website. I have a habit of that sometimes, where I get busy and the blog becomes a secondary thought. Since my last update my family has arrived in Japan. Seeing our newest addition, Luke, for the first time as well as my other two children and wife has made me very happy. It is difficult for the foreign player who has to spend time away from his family. This year was especially difficult for me, since it had been nearly three months since I had seen my family. Everyone has settled in well and we are enjoying another spring and summer together in Fukuoka.

I had also spent some time in the minor leagues since I have last updated the blog. I don’t get much in the mood to write when I am in the minor leagues. As most players do, I was not happy to get the news that I was being demoted. We have an unusual situation here with the Hawks. This season we have 5 American pitchers. No other team has that many. In Japan only 3 foreign pitchers can be active at one time, meaning 2 of us must always be in the minor leagues or deactivated from the major league roster. That means a lot of changing of the roster throughout the year, especially when all 5 pitchers are very capable of contributing to the major league team.

We knew things were going to be like this after we signed the 5 American pitchers but that doesn’t always make it easy. Because of the NPB rules not everyone will pitch as much as they would like to and probably deserve to this year.

When I had first gotten the news I was going to the minors I had actually considered retiring for the rest of this season. I wasn’t sure I was up for what the season was going to bring, a lot of up and down from the minors to the majors. Those thoughts only lasted about a half of a day. I came to the conclusion that I love to pitch and I still have a great passion for the competition. Even though the roster changes will never be 100% satisfactory for us American pitchers I just have to make the best of it. I know there is a greater chance I will spend more time in the minor leagues because of how many American pitchers we have. There isn’t much I can do about that.

The team is struggling but we are not panicking. The Seibu Lions have gotten off to a nice start and have gained an early big league in the Pacific League. The rest of the teams are all in the same boat, sitting around .500. So even though we have not played well consistently yet we still have a great chance to get into the playoffs. There is a lot of time left in the season. We have been hit hard by the injury bug and once we are healthy and strong I expect the Hawks to be near the top of the standings on October 2nd.