Original Article (also Written by T-Ray) Can Be Found Here
The news came just three days after his manager told the media he was not concerned about his prodigy’s shortened start on the mound (September 2). A new tear in the UCL in his right arm. His throwing arm. The two-way player would have to settle for hitting only. His response? Eight hits (including four home runs and a triple), two stolen bases and ten RBIs in his next four games.
Shohei Ohtani had sent the baseball world into a frenzy once again. The focus on Japanese baseball has arguably never been higher. (OK, it was probably a little higher in 1995 with Nomomania and in 2001 with Ichiro’s MVP season.)
What perfect timing for a group of 40 baseball fans from stateside to fly across the Pacific and take in a whole slough of games in Japan. No, these were not MLB scouts. Just ordinary people with ordinary lives looking to watch ordinary baseball. Perhaps they were hoping to catch a glimpse of another Japanese superstar who might potentially play in America some day.
Bob Bavasi is the founder and organizer of JapanBall Travel, which runs an annual trip to Japan for adventurous fans of the game who want to see the country and enjoy its culture through the window of professional baseball. Started in 1999, the tour has come to Japan every September and boasts a rigorous travel schedule that permits the most dedicated fans (those who embark on the full tour) to take in all twelve stadiums in a 15-day span.
This particular year, I was given the opportunity to help lead the tour on three of its games. Unfortunately, the first was never played, on account of Typhoon 21. That was particularly disappointing, given that it was a countryside game set to be played up in Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture).
The following day, though, the tour group made its way down to Kansai to watch the Orix Buffaloes host the Rakuten Eagles at Hotto Motto Field Kobe. After that, the tour continued on without me, as Mr. Bavasi took them through games in Tokyo, Tohoku and Chubu before sending them back out my way. They stayed in Osaka and came out to Koshien Stadium to see the Tigers host the Yakult Swallows. While very few people on the tour had a favorite NPB team, surely they were a little disenchanted by the hosts, who managed just two singles en route to a 4-0 shutout loss.
Still, as I talked to people on the tour, I got to know their stories a little, and enjoyed every one of them. One man lost his wife very suddenly and unexpectedly three years ago. His therapy, he said, was traveling. He absolutely loved his time in Japan as he discovered a culture he had never known before. Another man came on the tour with his 11-year old son, who loves baseball. It was a wonderful time for father and son to bond, and also take in Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan together. Another couple had entered retirement and wanted to return to Japan, where the husband had served in the US Military during the 1970s. He and his wife even spoke some Japanese, and made friends with Orix fans in Kobe!
Despite the fact that the JapanBall tour saw players from all 12 NPB teams, I don’t know that they found the next Shohei Ohtani. (He might not be born yet — after all, we’re talking about a once-a-generation talent here!) Still, there is little doubt that they had an incredible time enjoying “Japan’s National Sport” and experiencing the beauty of Japanese culture as they traveled to and from all the unique ballparks across Japan.