Yokohama’s professional baseball team, the Baystars, looks ready to have an interesting if not exciting and successful season. After last year’s admittedly disappointing showing (they finished last in the Central League), they have significantly revamped their team with young blood and new faces. This could be a formula for failure, but fans have high hopes for them. And the players, I found, appear to have high hopes for themselves, too.
The team’s overhaul involves the addition of eight young players new to major league action, the most noted among them, a young slugger named Tsutsugô Yoshitomo. There are also several new international players joining the ranks of the Baystars, and I twice got the opportunity to catch up with them and talk about the upcoming season. Our introduction came at a press conference for their arrival. I met them once again down at the Yokohama Baystars training camp in Ginowan, Okinawa. There, I got a fascinating and intimate look at the team’s talent and training methods, while also taking the opportunity to interview one of their major stars: two-time batting champ, Murata Shuichi.
Perhaps the most well-known of the international players is Terrmel Sledge, who played for the Nippon Ham last year. When asked by a reporter at the press conference to predict how the Baystars would perform, he gave a safe answer among much laughter in the room, “Better than last year.” He acknowledged the youngness of the team, but seemed upbeat about being a part of an effort, which may take several years, to build the team back to the prominence it enjoyed in 1998, when it won the Japan Series. Although he will be playing some defense this year in the Central League (as opposed to being a designated hitter in the Pacific League with Nippon Ham), he admitted preferring that, “It keeps me in the game.” Fans will be looking to Sledge to help fill out a batting line-up that includes, along with Murata, noted slugger Uchikawa.
As an infield defensive pick, the Baystars contracted José Castillo, originally from Venezuela, but with several years of experience playing for the Astros, Giants and Pirates in the U.S. Castillo seemed all confidence at the press conference, claiming, “I welcome any defensive role the Baystars give me.” Later, when I asked him about any stress in coming to Japan, he shrugged it off, “It’s just another country with a different language.” Indeed—last year he played in the Taiwanese league.
For their pitching line-up, the Baystars picked up Chris Bootcheck, a tall right-hander bringing U.S. major-league experience with the Angels and Pirates. Bootcheck noted his gratitude to the Baystars and, like Sledge, acknowledged the youngness of the team and being a part of that rebuilding process. Bootcheck has an array of pitches and when asked by a reporter about his particular pitching philosophy, he replied, “I like to go after batters—challenge them.” Bootcheck will be a closer, so we’ll get to see if this makes or breaks the game. When I asked him about feeling any stress in leaving the U.S. for Japan, he replied “This job involves a lot of moving around so it’s not going to affect me.” Moving to Yokohama, at least, isn’t too bad.
Fast forward one week: it’s a cool, overcast day in Ginowan, but the training camp of the Baystars in Okinawa is like a festive carnival. Giddy fans everywhere, reporters milling around, players moving from facility to facility with kids chasing them for autographs. “I’m really sorry,” I heard one player say, “I’m in the middle of practice; catch me later.” This is of course very serious business: the practice of pros.
The various nets and cages arranged around the infield so that different players could practice their different skills gave the field the appearance of an obstacle course—and we reporters by the 1st and 3rd base lines had to occasionally duck a stray ball ourselves. But these were hardly fast compared to what I saw in the bullpen as pitchers fine-tuned their throws. Watching balls whiz by just a few meters away gives you a whole new understanding of what batters are facing down each game—notably in Japan, a whole lot of forkballs. I then watched a few of the marquee players at batting practice, including Sledge, as he hammered a few balls out of the park. Later, I ran into Miura Daisuke, the star pitcher known as banchô (the “gansta”). Contrary to the name, he gave me a friendly grin and hello after his workout and moved on.
After their training, I sat down with each of the three players again. While I was impressed with Sledge’s batting, he replied that he held himself to a much higher standard of form. “I’m still getting loose. I need to make sure I stay healthy and am ready for game time.” A Baystars staff told me that Castillo loves to sing in his room, and when I asked, he smiled and said, “I miss my family.” On a more serious note, he replied that he hadn’t had any problems with adjustment and that he was joining in the excitement of all the new players. Bootcheck seemed the most pleased with his training so far, “I’m maintaining a good tempo. I’m way ahead of where I expected to be.” Let’s hope he keeps it up—he seemed hungry to win, and fans are, too.
When I finally met Murata, I pressed him on Bootcheck’s comments the week before about challenging batters and leaving the rest to defense—playing third base, Murata is going to be chasing down any potential hits off the pitcher. “I don’t mind at all if he goes after them, and with any pitcher who feels like throwing that way, I want to do my best to protect him.” It looks like Bootcheck has a friend. Murata mentioned that his leg injury from last season had healed, but that his muscular balance was off and that he needed this training to get back into form. And when asked about the batting title which he won twice but lost last year, you can probably imagine what he said: “It’s certainly a title I want.” How about a championship title with it? Yoroshiku! We’ll be cheering.
