Yokohama 5, Yomiuri 4

Years ago my family lived overseas in South East Asia. Dad’s job had already involved a ton of international travel over the years, but finally, an opportunity presented itself that he and Mom felt made sense to accept even though it meant moving us from New York to Singapore. I was 13 and to say there was some culture shock involved in the change is putting things lightly.

In all, I spent five years overseas. Three in Singapore and then two in Hong Kong, where I finished high school. Following graduation, I came back to the States for college, while the family moved on to Tokyo. My sister finished high school two years later, came back for college herself, and my parents stayed in Japan for another few years.

They attended several NPB games while living in Tokyo, of which I have long been a bit envious. Dad’s company had some kind of partial sponsorship agreement with one of the teams, the Chiba Lotte Marines, so they took advantage of access to tickets on occasion. They even were in attendance in 2008 for one of the two season-opening games played between the Red Sox and A’s at the Tokyo Dome.

Long before all this, before any of us had any degree of familiarity with the city or how to find things, we attempted to get to a game. My lone NPB game. For years I have wondered about that game. What happened? Who did we see play? What, exactly, did I miss?

Some context is important. Parts of this story I have told before.

We would usually spend summers back in the States once school got out in June. Air travel to accommodate these trips was built into Dad’s compensation package, so my parents found ways to get creative with ticketing to allow us to travel and explore a little. One of the early trips included staying in Tokyo for a few days.

Most of the trip was spent doing touristy things around the city. I know we went to Shibuya Crossing at some point (shopping, lots of cheap electronics) and saw the Tokyo Tower. We stopped somewhere and my sister attempted to feed the pigeons, who subsequently swarmed around her so much she was scared of big groups of birds for years.

On our last day in town, we had tickets for a game at the Tokyo Dome. Here is where things get a little uncertain as memory fades over time.

It had been a long, busy few days seeing the city. We were all tired and eager for the flight home the next morning. There was likely some consideration to skip the game completely at that point, but there was something — maybe I pleaded, I really don’t know — that made us go.

We arrived after the game had started and immediately felt lost. Dad had traveled to Tokyo on business for years but he wasn’t comfortable with the language. The rest of us didn’t speak or read it at all. We had made it to the Tokyo Dome but the prospect of figuring out where our seats were was a total non-starter. I don’t think any of us had a clue where to go or how to ask for help.

One way or another we found our way to seats. I don’t know if they were ours or just the first empty ones we could find. Mom says we were all very quickly overwhelmed by the cheering and how loud the crowd was, which makes an enormous amount of sense given what I know now about the typical NPB crowd.

We probably stayed for an inning, likely not much more, before heading back to the hotel for some sleep before our flight. The extent of my NPB experience.

International travel is not a routine part of my life anymore. It’s simply not something I have the time and finances for these days. I haven’t needed a passport in years now, but I still have my old expired ones on hand. I’ve wondered for so long about that game, it was time to figure out when it was.

Digging through my old passports (there were two, since the first I had gotten as a minor) I found three trips to Japan. It was easy to rule out one, as it coincided with my sister’s graduation. Mom helped me narrow things down from there. It turns out the trip in question was after our very first year overseas. I suddenly had a date to work with: June 12, 1996.

The search for a box score could begin.

Initially, my search online fell a bit short. It was easy to figure out the Yomiuri Giants called the Tokyo Dome home and then to find their roster from 1996. The Giants went 77-53 that year, winning the Central League pennant before losing the Japan Series to the Orix Blue Wave.

Thankfully, years of trying to follow the NPB from afar via social media left me knowing who to ask for help. Within minutes I had a box score thanks to a tip from @YakyuCosmo on Twitter. A few hours later I had a partial game recap thanks to the Daily Yomiuri’s Jim Allen, who has covered the game in Japan for decades and is well-respected around the league.

From that recap published following the game:

Two names immediately jump out of that recap for me: Sasaki and Matsui. Two players who came to the majors and had success. Two players who have since been inducted into the NPB Hall of Fame.

1996 was still somewhat early in Kazuhiro Sasaki’s career. The right-hander had assumed the BayStars’ closer role by this point, but he hadn’t yet seen the dominant success that put him on the radar for MLB teams. Much of that began with the 1998 season in which Sasaki set the saves record (45) with a minuscule 0.64 ERA en route to winning the Central League MVP Award.

Before the 2000 season, Sasaki came to MLB, signing a free agent contract with the Seattle Mariners. His impact was immediate.

Sasaki assumed the closer role during that first season in Seattle, recording 37 saves with a 3.16 ERA on the year. He’d win the AL Rookie of the Year Award, beating out Oakland’s Terrance Long with 17 (of 30) first-place votes. The Mariners bullpen had been a liability in years prior but Sasaki managed to stabilize it and help it become a strength in the seasons to come alongside Jeff Nelson and Arthur Rhodes.

Sasaki spent four seasons with the Mariners, saving 129 games with a 3.14 ERA in 228 appearances. He’d make a pair of All-Star appearances in that time before forgoing the final season of his contract (he was due to be paid $8.5M) to return to Japan to be closer to his family. He’d pitch two more seasons in the NPB before retiring, closing his NPB career with 252 saves.

He was inducted into the NPB Hall of Fame in 2014. Yokohama has since retired his number 22.

Sasaki worked two innings on June 12, striking out three while earning his 10th save of the season.

1996 marked just the fourth season in the league for outfielder Hideki Matsui. The three seasons prior were respectable, but he hadn’t yet developed the reputation for being one of the league’s most feared power hitters. That 1996 season changed a lot, however.

Matsui truly broke out that year, batting .314/.401/.622 with 34 doubles, 38 home runs, and 99 RBI. He won the first of his three Central League MVP Awards (1996, 2000, 2002). The man affectionately known as “Godzilla” throughout his career had arrived.

Over his ten seasons in Japan, Matsui dominated. He batted .304/.413/.583 over that stretch, smashing 332 home runs. Three times he led the league in homers, including a career-best 50 in 2002. Matsui made nine All-Star teams and helped the Giants win three Japan Series titles (1994, 2000, 2002) during his tenure.

Matsui was so revered in Tokyo a parade was held in his honor following news that had signed a free agent deal to join the New York Yankees for the 2003 season.

The slugger wasted little time making himself comfortable, singling in his very first MLB at bat on the road in Toronto and hitting a grand slam in the Yankees home opener. Matsui quickly endeared himself to Yankees fans. He hit .287/.353/.435 that first season, with 42 doubles and 16 home runs, driving in 106 runs while making the All-Star team. His home run in Game 2 of the World Series against the Marlins would be the first by a Japanese-born player in MLB history.

Matsui would finish second in a controversial Rookie of the Year vote to Kansas City’s Angel Berroa at season’s end. A pair of writers elected to leave him off their ballots completely, citing his age and prior experience in Japan. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner — ever the patient and reasonable man, he wrote sarcastically — publicly called out each for their hypocrisy as they hadn’t expressed similar objections in the past for Sasaki or Ichiro Suzuki.

Matsui would spend seven seasons with the Yankees, re-signing with the team following the conclusion of his original three-year deal. A knee injury cost him some time in 2008 and left him primarily as a designated hitter upon his return. He was a .292./.370/.482 hitter over his career in pinstripes, with 196 doubles and 140 home runs.

He was essential to the Yankees World Series win over Philadelphia in 2009, despite only playing in the three games at home in New York with no DH in the National League. Matsui went 8-for-13 (.615) with three home runs, taking home WS MVP honors.

The next three seasons saw Matsui spend time with the Angels, A’s, and Rays. His tenure in Tampa Bay was filled with offensive struggles, resulting in his release by August. He would announce his retirement that winter, closing his career with 175 home runs and a .282/.360/.462 line.

He was inducted into the NPB Hall of Fame in 2018.

Matsui went 2-for-3 on June 12, with a double and home run (his 13th of the year).

That was …. a lot. And that’s just the two Hall of Famers I recognized right away. There are, after all, other players involved in this game.

Yomiuri had opened the three-game series by pounding the BayStars the night prior, 14-2. The Giants were likely thinking a win was probably on June 12, too, with Hiromi Makihara on the mound to start.

Makihara was a longtime staple of the Giants rotation, spending a whopping 19 seasons with the team. The right-hander went 12-9 with a 3.67 ERA over 184.1 IP in 1983, winning Rookie of the Year. He would make six All-Star appearances over his career, posting a 159-128 record and 3.19 ERA over nearly 2,500 innings of work.

Makihara lasted 6.1 IP on June 12, allowing five runs while striking out nine. He’d take the loss, his third on the season.

Joining Makihara in the holy-crap-this-guy-played-a-long-time-club is shortstop Masahiro Kawai. Kawai joined the Giants in 1984 and spent 20 years with the club. He then joined the Marines for three more seasons, playing an impressive 23 seasons in the NPB.

A six-time Gold Glove winner known mainly for his defense, Kawai hit .266/.333/.345 for his career. He is currently a coach with the Giants.

Behind Kawai in the Giants lineup and playing center field alongside Matsui, none other than Shane Mack.

Mack had been a heralded prospect coming out of college in 1984, getting selected 11th overall in the MLB Draft before being a part of the US Olympic roster that won a silver medal. His early career in the pros came with struggles and the Minnesota Twins were ultimately able to pick him in the 1989 Rule 5 Draft. He’d become a relative star and popular fan favorite with the Twins.

Mack batted .309/.375/.479 over his five years in Minnesota, helping the Twins win the World Series in 1991. With MLB on strike, Mack moved to Japan for the 1995 season. His two years with the Giants saw him bat .284/.356/.463 in over 1,000 plate appearances.

Next in the Giants lineup was Hiromitsu Ochiai, who mashed 510 home runs in his career (good for sixth all-time and three more than Matsui’s professional total). Ochiai spent time with four teams over his 20-year career. 1996 was the last of his three with the Giants. He hit .301/.409/.516 with 21 homers as a 42-year-old. He would play two more seasons with the Fighters before retiring. The two-time MVP winner was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

That’s three HOFers in this game on June 12.

Also on the Giants roster in 1996, though he didn’t pitch on June 12, was left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima. Okajima was in just his second year of pro ball and just 20 years old, putting this long before he became a reliable setup man.

Okajima spent 11 seasons with the Giants before he was traded to the Fighters. A season later he came to MLB, signing with the Red Sox. Already a four-time Japan Series winner, Okajima helped the Sox win the World Series in 2007. He was on the Boston roster for the season-opening series in Japan the next spring. In all, he would spend three years in Boston before returning to Japan, where he’d add another Japan Series title in 2014.

Takahiro Saeki had the key swing for the BayStars on that June evening, singling in the seventh inning to drive in a pair of runs. 1996 was his fourth in the league, but the first he saw regular consistent playing time in the Yokohama outfield. He responded by batting .290/.343/.421 in over 400 plate appearances.

Yet another NPB-lifer, Saeki spent 19 seasons in the league with the first 17 coming in Yokohama. He finished his career playing for the Chunichi Dragons for two years, who later brought him aboard as a coach.

The BayStars hit two home runs in the game. One came from third baseman Kazuaki Kawabata, who hit all of three homers total in his seven-year career. Glenn Braggs hit the other.

Braggs had seen time in the majors with the Brewers and Reds before heading to Japan to join the BayStars after the 1993 season. The outfielder hit .257/.322/.405 with 70 home runs over his seven seasons in the National League. He stepped things up in Japan, batting .300/.397/.544 with 90 homers over his four years there.

Joining Braggs in the Yokohama lineup was Bobby Rose, another former major leaguer. He had a pair of hits on the day.

The former Angels infielder had been sparingly used by California over parts of four seasons but became a regular with the BayStars. Over his eight seasons in Japan, he batted .325/.402/.531 with 238 doubles and 167 home runs, winning a battle title (1999) and playing in four All-Star games. Rose hit for the cycle three times while playing in Japan, an NPB record.

He went hitless on the day, striking out twice, but first baseman Norihiro Komada was enjoying another typically strong season in 1996. Having spent the first 11 years of his career with the Giants, Komada then spent seven more in Yokohama before finishing his career with a .289/.343/.433 line. The 10-time Gold Glove winner hit 357 doubles and 195 homers.

Like Kawai above, he, too, is a current coach for the Giants.

Yokohama brought out two more NPB-lifers to close out the lineup that day. Outfielder Takanori Suzuki lined up in center field, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. He would hit .304/.364/.462 over his 17 seasons in the league, 16 of which came with Yokohama, winning a pair of batting titles.

Meanwhile, suited up behind the plate was longtime catcher Motonobu Tanishige. Tanishige spent an astounding 27 years in the league, appearing in more games than any player in NPB history. He spent 13 seasons with the BayStars franchise before playing 14 more with the Dragons, eventually becoming player-manager at the end of his career. The 12-time All-Star hit .240/.333/.368 with 229 home runs over his career.

Tanishige also appeared on Japan’s World Baseball Classic roster in 2006 (going hitless in four at bats) when they took home their first title.

Neither got into that game on June 12, but there were a pair of pitchers on the Yokohama roster who would find their way to MLB later in their careers. One was much more well-known than the other.

Tomo Ohka had seen limited action for the BayStars over the first four seasons of his career before the Red Sox purchased his contract before the 1999 season. The move was questioned at the time by many, as Ohka hadn’t produced much but reports suggested the Sox front office was intrigued by the right-hander’s command.

Ohka spent parts of ten seasons in the major leagues, seeing time with five different teams, in which he posted a 4.26 ERA in over 1,000 innings of work. He would make his way back to Japan, reuniting with the BayStars for three more seasons.

Ohka is possibly best known at this point for his role as a trivia answer, having been the first Japanese player to ever play for the Red Sox.

Lastly, there was Takashi Saito. Another lifer and Yokohama’s current pitching coach, Saito spent 23 years in pro baseball, including seven in the major leagues.

Saito spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the BayStars, primarily working as a starter. 1996 happened to be one of the best years of his career, he threw a career-high 196.1 innings and led the Central League with 206 strikeouts. He made the second of his four All-Star appearances that year, but the workload had an impact. The next spring Saito was found to have cartilage damage in his elbow and he would miss the entire year while rehabbing.

Upon Sasaki’s signing with the Mariners, Saito stepped into the BayStars’ closer role to replace his college teammate and he excelled in the role for two seasons before returning to the rotation briefly.

Saito would sign a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2006 season, debuting that spring as a 36-year-old. He’d spend three seasons with LA’s bullpen and one each with the Red Sox, Braves, Brewers, and Diamondbacks before returning to Japan for three final seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Multiple future Hall of Famers.

Numerous major award and championship winners.

Countless All-Star appearances.

There was quite a collection of talent on the field in Tokyo on June 12, for a relatively meaningless one-run game.

It’s a shame I wasn’t fully able to appreciate it at the time. I certainly do now.