Baseball is the bridge connecting South Florida and Japan
Every year, the Miami Marlins celebrate Japanese Heritage Day. I am especially glad to be a part of the celebration this year, which marks the 150th year of baseball in Japan.
We are glad to have my fellow countryman and 2021 MVP Ohtani Shohei present for the celebration. Ohtani is said to be the first two-way player since Babe Ruth. Indeed, I find myself in a difficult position on which team to support as consul general of Japan in Miami.
LOVE FOR THE GAME
Known in our country as “yakyuu” or field ball, baseball has grown deep roots in Japanese society. It has engendered such a deep love among Japanese people that it is now the most watched and played sport in Japan.
Baseball arrived by way of fruitful and friendly exchanges between Japan and the U.S. In 1872, American school teacher Horace Wilson introduced the sport to his pupils at a school in Japan. It quickly spread across Japan and a national high-school baseball championship, “Koshien,” started in 1915. The Koshien championship is one of the largest sports events in Japan.
In 1934, the MLB held a goodwill tour of famous American players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. This visit opened the history of Japanese professional baseball, as Japan formed the first professional team with the members that played against Ruth; DaiNippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu (now the Yomiuri Giants).
Since then, many MLB players have come to Japan and formed an important part of the history of Japan’s Professional Baseball League (NPB). More than 10 American players were chosen as NPB MVPs. Moreover, close ties between South Florida, its people, and Japanese professional baseball have not been lacking.
One only has to think of Miami’s own Orestes Destrade Cucas, a terrific former player for the Seibu Lions, Japan Series MVP in 1990, founding member of the Miami Marlins and current announcer for Tampa Bay. As for active players, we have Miami native Nick Martinez (now playing with the Texas Rangers), who played with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and then with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks from 2018-2021. There is also Leonys Martín, a Cuban-American center fielder for the Chiba Lotte Marines and veteran MLB player.
Japanese players have also featured largely in Florida. Ichiro Suzuki is a household name in Miami’s baseball community. He became the only player in MLB history to win the batting title, Rookie of the Year and MVP Award. Ichiro scored 3,089 base hits; the second-highest record in MLB history. His MLB career included three out of 19 seasons with the Miami Marlins. In Tampa, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo shined brightly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
SHARED VALUES
Baseball is an elegant game of rule and interchange. To enjoy it, teams must believe in values such as playing by rules, honesty and mutual respect. These same values undergird American Japanese commitment to democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law. They are the core values that strongly bind us together.
Florida and Japan’s relations remain as committed to this alliance as to our love of baseball. I can think of no better way to celebrate this 150th anniversary, and the closeness it engenders between Japan and Florida, than heading to the ballpark for a game we all love.