Category Archives: Baseball

Baseball, Free, News

Apologies Monday

Leave a comment

Monday was a day for public remorse for events on and off the field, for Hotaka Yamakawa, who was accused of, but not charged with sexual assault, but who on Monday was suspended indefinitely,  and the Yakult Swallows’ ballpark DJ Patrick Yu, for his unwitting comments after an on-field incident that drew the ire of the Hanshin Tigers on Sunday.

Both are interesting, less because of what was said than by what wasn’t.

Yamakawa apologizes for causing trouble

The Seibu Lions on Monday suspended first baseman Hotaka Yamakawa indefinitely after Tokyo prosecutors decided not to indict him over an allegation of rape due to insufficient evidence.

The 31-year-old, a three-time Pacific League home run leader who played for Japan in March’s World Baseball Classic, was referred to prosecutors for allegedly raping a female acquaintance at a Tokyo hotel last November.

“We take this situation very gravely and have punished the individual in order to encourage him to do some serious self-reflection,” Lions President and CEO Tsuyoshi Okumura said according to Kyodo News.

Continue reading Apologies Monday →
Baseball, Commentary, News, Paid Content

When will the stupid stop?

Leave a comment

As the result of a disputed play last month NPB on Monday decided to adopt a lowest-common-denominator policy and choose the stupidest available option.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has ever worked in a Japanese company where one stupid decision has to be counteracted by another even more illogical one in order for someone to save face.

On Aug. 18 in the ninth inning in Yokohama with Hanshin trailing 2-1, pinch-runner Takahiro Kumagai attempted to steal second and was ruled safe because DeNA shortstop Yota Kyoda had inadvertently blocked the path to the base as he scooped up the bounced throw from his catcher. Even with the bounce, the ball got to Kyoda in time so that he was not blocking the base without the ball.

But while Kyoda did have the ball, he was unable to make the tag until after Kumagai had slid into his leg, so the second base umpire made the correct call.

Continue reading When will the stupid stop? →