Ishii Arrives Ahead of Game

After a monthlong contract negotiation, numerous delays obtaining a U.S. visa and a 14-hour flight from Tokyo, Japanese left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii finally arrived in Dodgertown on Wednesday night and will take part in his first workout today.

“I’m not so nervous, I’m more excited,” Ishii, 28, said through an interpreter. “I hope I don’t cause any trouble by being late. I’ve been practicing hard, so it won’t take long to get ready.”

Ishii is far ahead of his new teammates--he threw 130 pitches off a mound Tuesday, three times as many as Dodger pitchers have thrown during workouts the first week.

Ishii said he could pitch in a game this week, and he’s ready for the challenge of facing major league hitters.

“In all aspects, the players here are at the highest level,” Ishii said. “Other than that, there’s not that big a difference except for having sunflower seeds on the floor of the dugout. We’re not allowed to spit in the dugout in Japan.”

Some 15-20 media members greeted Ishii at the airport in Orlando, and another dozen or so captured his arrival at Dodgertown.

A bigger media crowd is expected today, though probably not as huge as the one that followed fellow Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo when he joined the Dodgers in 1995.

“I’m sure there will be a few cameramen,” Manager Jim Tracy said, “and I hope we have enough rope around to keep them in the right areas.”

Ishii, who had a 78-46 career record and 3.38 earned-run average in 10 seasons in Japan, is concerned about his media following becoming a distraction in camp.

“There are so many media,” he said. “I don’t want to cause any problems.”

Dodger General Manager Dan Evans, who traveled with Ishii to Tokyo for a news conference after the Dodgers signed him to a four-year, $12.2-million contract on Feb. 8, doesn’t foresee any problems.

“He was swarmed in Japan, and he handled it so well; he’s so used to it,” Evans said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize what a big deal this is for his people. Having been there, I didn’t realize the magnitude until I saw it. He was a front-page story everywhere over there.”