Japanese Pony Team Clouts Americans With Courtesy

Smack in the middle of a baseball season littered with doctored balls, beanbrawls and cocky curtain calls, a team of Pony League all-stars from Japan is giving American youngsters lessons in how our national pastime should be played--aggressively, fundamentally and with the utmost sportsmanship.

The Japanese team spent the past week sharing its brand of baseball in the 14th annual USA-Japan Pony Baseball Friendship Series. The youngsters, aged 13 and 14, were disciplined and opportunistic. They also made sushi out of American pitching. And they did it politely--bowing to fans, opponents, umpires and even their own manager.

Then they praised their competition.

“American baseball players seem to be better built and they hit better,” Japanese pitcher Ryosuke Sugibayashi said through an interpreter. Sugibayashi relieved starter Kazuo Takeda and pitched four scoreless innings Friday night to lead Japan to a 19-3 victory over the William S. Hart all-stars at Hart’s Pony League field in Newhall.

Moments later, Sugibayashi joined his 21 teammates and three coaches on the foul line and bowed graciously upon receiving a standing ovation from the Hart crowd.

“Thank you very much,” right fielder Naohiro Kumamoto enunciated in perfect English from the end of the line.

Milt Du Bane, founder and director of the Friendship Series, said that Japanese youths are taught baseball from a different perspective than Americans.

“They’re very polite and well-disciplined,” Du Bane said. “They bow to their manager and the umpire and they do it in the big leagues, too. There’s never a fight and there’s never an argument with an umpire--it’s unheard of.”

Since arriving in Southern California on Aug. 15, the Japanese team has politely clobbered its competition, executing everything perfectly from the double steal to the double play. The all-stars, selected from teams in Tokyo, Sapporo, Edogawa, Chiba and Kyoto, have crushed all-star teams from Simi Valley, Newbury Park and Temple City by scores of 31-0, 11-0 and 16-6. The team was scheduled to play Camarillo on Saturday night before returning to Japan.

Du Bane, a former Pony League manager, initiated The Friendship Series in 1974. The series began with American all-star teams traveling to Japan every other year. In the past, American teams have been greeted with a parade and a trip to Korakeun Stadium, home of the Tokyo Giants.

‘It’s a foreign exchange program,” Du Bane said. “The point is to promote understanding and an aura of friendship. The players exchange gifts and learn about each other. It’s developed into a cultural event as well as an athletic one.”

Records of the games are kept by individual leagues, Du Bane said. But Japan, he believes, has gotten the better of the series over the years.

“They play more defensive baseball,” Du Bane said. “And they’re very schooled in the game. They do it with speed and defense.”

Before Friday night’s game, with American and Japanese flags flying overhead, players exchanged shirts and commemorative pins. Japan chairman Shinsuke Itoh thanked the host Hart families for their hospitality.

Then Japan began its honorable assault.

Hart held Japan scoreless for one inning, but then Japan struck with the subtleness of a karate chop. Kumamoto stole home with the bases loaded to trigger a five-run inning, and Japan scored four more runs in the third to begin the rout.

Hart, which countered with two runs in the second inning and one in the third, unraveled as Japanese batters laid down perfect bunts and easily beat the throws to first. Overthrows by Hart fielders usually meant two extra bases by the fleet Japanese.

“I think they play the same brand of baseball,” Hart manager Steve Cowan said. “But it’s more aggressive--and more disciplined.”

But the biggest lesson to be learned from the Japanese, many agreed, is delivered off the field.

“Our kids could learn a lot from them, manners-wise,” said Rich Groller, publicity director of the Hart league.

Groller, along with several families associated with the Hart league, welcomed two Japanese ballplayers into theirs home during the team’s two-day stay in Saugus. Groller was as impressed with his guests--Takashi Shirai and Yasahiro Tomisawa--as his guests were with America’s large homes, wide freeways and big meals.

“They’re so polite,” Groller said. “We took them out to dinner for some sushi and the Japanese hostess had to come over and explain to the boys that it’s OK to talk. Then she explained to me and my wife that in Japan it’s rude to talk during a meal.”

But the guests, who will not learn to speak English until they attend high school next year, charmed their hosts with humor.

“That Yasahiro,” Groller said. “He was a real cut-up. He had my kids rolling.”

Wataru Nishimura, who stayed with the family of Bob Adams, league president-elect, enjoyed visiting Magic Mountain and watching MTV during his stay.

“He could sing along in perfect English to all the songs,” 11-year old Kevin Adams said.

Explained Nishimura, grinning: “They have MTV in Japan. I watch it on Sunday mornings.”

Some things are universal. As they demonstrated this week, the Japanese also know it’s ichi , ni , san strikes you’re out at the old ball game.