'Samurai Way of Baseball' - Chapter 7 - Gaijin (Part 2)

The following is the final part of a revised and updated version of a chapter that originally appeared in “The Samurai Way of Baseball” published in 2004.

The Gap

TOKYO — A former NPB commissioner named Ichiro Yoshikuni once said, “The teamwork involved in baseball fits in perfectly with the national temper of the Japanese. It did not always fit the temper of Americans.” He was referring to the myriad of cultural and practical differences that have distinguished the two versions of the two games from each other and have frequently been the cause of conflict when Americans have joined NPB teams.

This has been especially so in how training and preparation are involved. As American Bobby Rose put it after his first season in Japan, “I ran a lot in the U.S. to get used to the Japanese way, but there was no getting used to it.” A common refrain by Americans in their first spring camp is, “I know how to get ready for the season and this isn’t it.” Said Darryl Mosley, a former Kansas City Royals outfielder who joined the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League in 1993, “They don’t enjoy the game. It is work to them. Work harder. That’s the answer to everything for the Japanese.”