All posts by Jim Allen

sports editor for a wire service in Tokyo
Baseball, Commentary, History, Paid Content

Weird Japanese records

Leave a comment

On Monday, in Craig Calcaterra’s wonderful irreverent newsletter, “Cup of Coffee,” I found notice of Munetaka Murakami’s posting, and Craig’s bewilderment that the left-handed slugger is called the holder of the single-season home run record among Japan-born players.

“I’m not sure why that “Japanese-born” distinction is repeated by everyone. There is a long and rich history of racism against non-Japanese players in NPB history. I don’t know where that stands these days, and I don’t know how it’s been reckoned with if at all, but it seems to me that separating the records between Japanese-born and non-Japanese-born players isn’t pushing things in the right direction, ya know?” — Craig Calcattera

Aside from the fact that it’s not an official record, the answer has a little to do with Japan’s racist ethnic branding but a lot to do with its cultural emphasis on group conformity.

When something idiotic like this catches on in Japan’s mainstream news, every writer and editor will feel some pressure go along with the crowd and ascribe importance to it.

Continue reading Weird Japanese records →
Baseball, Commentary, News, Paid Content

world series’ extra innings

Leave a comment

Someone commented this afternoon on Blue Sky that NHK had to scramble to show innings past the 12th on its broadcast of North America’s baseball “World Series.” Watching from the sofa here in Tokyo reminded me how much I love long extra-inning games as a fan.

NHK world series graphic

Because games in capital “m” major league baseball are structured for the benefit of the people who promote games and not the people who pay the bills, MLB now begins extra innings with a Manfred man on second base.

I don’t know if NHK was scrambling or not. Japan doesn’t have the Manfred man, but games are stopped after 12 innings – even during the its finals — and declared ties. Since every act in Japan is attributed to benevolence, Nippon Professional Baseball most likely introduced game-length limits ostensibly “for the benefit of the fans” but actually so owners could reduce overtime pay for stadium employees, and the extra cost of their taxi fares if games end after trains stop running.

The media loves truncated ties and the Manfred man because reporters and editors have lives. And because NPB and MLB operates as monopolies, their fans have no choice but to heed the words of Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon: “When I slap you, you’ll take it and like it.”

NPB has games with unlimited extra innings, but only when its finals, the Japan Series, is tied after seven games. Japan Series games used to last 15 innings, but that, like media access to players, died out with COVID.

TRIVIA: Japan’s pro baseball finals date back to 1950, when pro ball underwent massive expansion and split into two leagues. The finals have been known as the Japan Series since 1951 after NPB called its first finals the Japan World Series, which makes more sense than MLB’s.

Another comment I saw about Game 3 of North America’s finals was about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was warming up in the bullpen when the game ended two days after throwing a 105-pitch complete game. Someone, I forgot who, said that this was the way ace pitchers were used in Japan.

That’s how ace pitchers were used 50 years ago in Japan, although Masahiro Tanaka did save Game 7 of the 2013 Series after throwing a 160-pitch complete game defeat the night before in Game 6.

Subscribe to jballallen.com weekly newsletter