Japan Is Ready to Embrace Majors
Imagine 55,000 fans so well behaved that no one belts out obscenities or boos the opposing team, sitting politely, clapping rhythmically in ultra-clean seats where whiskey, vodka and sake are served without fear of a riot.
The Japanese fans turning out for Wednesday’s historic season opener between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in the Tokyo Dome--the first ever outside North America--will be subdued by U.S. standards. But major league baseball hopes the excitement of the U.S. game will quickly translate.
Early evidence suggests it will. The teams will play here again Thursday and tickets to the two games sold out almost immediately, Japanese fans jumping at the chance to see big leaguers in a game that counts in the American standings. Previous games by U.S. teams have been exhibitions or all-star matchups.
“It’s so exciting,” said Manabu Fuchigami, 33, a construction worker and avid baseball fan. “I just hope I can get a ticket. I’m going to the ballpark Wednesday to try to get in one way or another.”
The favorite here is home run slugger Sammy Sosa, who has been surrounded by the media and adoring fans since he arrived.
“I like him because he hits the ball so hard,” said Atsuki Okonogi, 12, at an exhibition game Monday between the Cubs and the Yomiuri Giants. “I’d like to be a baseball player myself someday.”
Sosa also has a special place in Japanese hearts because he was the most valuable player during an eight-game all-star tour in 1998, when he batted .481 with three homers and 10 runs batted in. Unfortunately for Japanese fans, Sosa failed to hit a home run Monday as the Cubs lost, 5-1.
Whether major league baseball can take its international road show to the next level and build a network of global competitors remains a bigger question. U.S. baseball officials have been talking for at least a decade about a true World Series, one that includes teams from outside North America, akin to soccer’s World Cup.
During that time, soccer’s popularity has soared and basketball has given “dunk” and “pick and roll” to the global vocabulary. Baseball has diversified with players from many countries but, until now, the games that count have all been played in North America.
For baseball, Japan represents the best hope of expansion, given that the game is already played here and has a passionate following.
“We hope this is only the first of many such ventures,” said American Commissioner Bud Selig. “It is our hope and dream that the World Series will be what the word connotes: a true world series.”
For many Japanese, however, the idea is less than appealing.
“The American leagues are so much better than Japanese players, what’s the point in having a championship,” said Yoichi Iwase, an unemployed 25-year-old.
Nor, some wonder, would American fans necessarily be all that interested in seeing their teams compete against the Japanese.
“If a Japanese team challenged Americans in Dodger Stadium or Yankee Stadium, how many American fans would really pay to see it?” said Masaru Ikei, professor at Keio University and a specialist in baseball.
The apparent skill gap, and the jet lag facing teams crossing the Pacific, are just a few of the hurdles standing in the way of global expansion. The difficulties have led some, such as St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire, to offer a simpler motive for why the opener is in Japan this week.
“It comes down to how much money they can make,” he said.
Some Japanese say they’re also worried that globalizing the sport could result in more American characteristics on the Japanese game. Japanese rules limit each team’s roster to three foreigners, even as U.S. teams absorb talent wholesale. The Japanese feel their game more strongly emphasizes teams over individuals.
And although Japanese salaries have risen to an average of $350,000, they’re still well below the U.S. average of about $1.8 million.
Still, many Japanese have been happy to see their players sign big league contracts. One of the first, former Dodger Hideo Nomo, is now with Detroit. Among others, Shigetoshi Hasegawa is with the Angels, and Hideki Irabu is with Montreal after three seasons with the Yankees.
“A lot of people feel a real sense of pride when Japanese players go to the U.S.,” said Jim Nishi, sports editor of Japan’s Daily Yomiuri newspaper. “They’re proud when players do well.”
While ostensibly the United States and Japan play the same game, experts say the style can be light-years apart.
“It’s not American-style baseball,” said Mitsunori Urushibara, professor of sports psychology at Shikoku Gakuin University. “It’s funny, we use the same rules, play the same game, but it’s really quite different.”
Japanese baseball is much slower, more cautious, added Keio University’s Ikei. Game decisions are often preceded by laborious on-field discussions involving the whole team. Sacrifice bunts are far more common. And players, taught to play it safe, are expected to practice together extensively.
“Players exercise for many hours together as part of the collectivist idea,” Urushibara said. “It’s not ‘Play ball!’ but ‘Work at ball.’ ”
Few Japanese players will swing on a 3-0 or even a 3-1 count, for instance, Ikei says, but instead wait for a walk. Similarly, Japanese pitchers generally walk a batter intentionally in a critical situation, rather than face the potential humiliation of a several-run drubbing.
“Managers in Japan are afraid to make a quick decision because they are afraid of making a mistake,” Warren Cromartie, an American who has played in Japan, was quoted as saying.
Even a close look around the Tokyo Dome stadium yields some subtle differences. The crowd is far older and more professional, with relatively few children. There’s no warning track. And many of the fans sport megaphones, whistles, trumpets, drums and giant flags as part of official group cheering sections that sing specific songs for each player at bat.
Still, some believe a real, well designed matchup with Japan would benefit both sides.
“One of the strengths of Japanese teams is that they play as teams,” said Met Manager Bobby Valentine, who managed here. “One of the weaknesses is, they don’t have as many talented individuals. It would be a great test to see if great individuals are better than great teams. I’d love to see it.”
In the meantime, the Japanese are enjoying what they expect this week to be a great show of American-style power.
“It seems to me like the popularity of baseball in Japan has dropped a bit lately,” said Masayuki Takahashi, 27, a construction worker. “I think having the major league teams over here could really energize the Japanese game.”
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Hisako Ueno in The Times’ Tokyo bureau contributed to this report.
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For Openers
CHICAGO CUBS VS. N.Y. METS
in Tokyo
Wednesday, 2 a.m.
TV: Fox Sports Net
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Final--1999 National League
West Division
*--*
Team W L Pct. GB x-Arizona 100 62 .617 -- San Francisco 86 76 .531 14 DODGERS 77 85 .475 23 San Diego 74 88 .457 26 Colorado 72 90 .444 28
*--*
*
East Division
*--*
Team W L Pct. GB x-Atlanta 103 59 .636 -- y-New York 97 66 .595 6 1/2 Philadelphia 77 85 .475 26 Montreal 68 94 .420 35 Florida 64 98 .395 39
*--*
*
Central Division
*--*
Team W L Pct. GB x-Houston 97 65 .599 -- Cincinnati 96 67 .589 1 1/2 Pittsburgh 78 83 .484 18 1/2 St. Louis 75 86 .466 21 1/2 Milwaukee 74 87 .460 22 1/2 Chicago 67 95 .414 30
*--*
Wednesday’s Schedule
Chicago (Lieber 10-11) vs. New York (Hampton 22-4) at Tokyo, 2 a.m.
Thursday’s Schedule
New York vs. Chicago, 2 a.m.
Friday’s Schedule
No games scheduled
Saturday’s Schedule
No games scheduled
Sunday’s Schedule
No games scheduled
Monday’s Schedule
DODGERS at Montreal, 7:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m.
San Diego at at N.Y. Mets, 1:10 p.m.
Colorado at Atlanta, 4:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, 4:10 p.m.
San Francisco at Florida, 7:05 p.m.
Houston at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday’s Schedule
DODGERS at Montreal, 7:05 p.m.
San Francisco at Florida, 7:05 p.m.
Colorado at Atlanta, 7:40 p.m.
Philadelphia at Arizona, 10:05 p.m.
