On May 16, hundreds of baseball fans arrived early to the San Francisco Giants game to enjoy Japanese Heritage Night at Oracle Park. The Giants organization hosted the annual event in partnership with the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. This year the San Francisco Giants recognized the 120th anniversary of the 1903 […]
Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award
January 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Most of the time in professional sports, it’s easy to think it’s all been done before. With so many finetuned athletes constantly pushing each other to the peak of human potential, we can experience unprecedented demonstrations of sporting brilliance every week of our lives. But it’s truly rare to witness anything that […]
Ohtani homers, pitches into 5th
April 15, 2021 by Leave a Comment
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani both hit the hardest homer and threw the hardest pitch by a starter in the majors this season in an extraordinary two-way performance for the Los Angeles Angels on April 4. Ohtani pitched and hit in the same game for the first time since moving to the majors, and the […]
Astros player’s racist gesture on display during World Series
November 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Houston Astros infielder Yulieski Gurriel will be suspended for the first five games of the 2018 MLB season for making a racist gesture Oct. 27 during the World Series. After hitting a home run off the Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish during Game 3 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Gurriel, 33, brought […]
Korean star Jae-Gyun Hwang powers his way to Giants history
July 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
In a dismal season, San Francisco Giants fans had a reason to celebrate June 28. Playing at home versus the Colorado Rockies, Jae-Gyun Hwang made history as the first Korea-born player to suit up for the Giants. In his major league debut, the 29-year-old infielder hit a dramatic, go-ahead home run in the sixth inning. […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: How the Dodgers helped to expand the racial and geographical frontiers of baseball
September 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Today’s column, rather than recounting an individual history, takes up the question of how Japanese American history is told, and who gets represented. In the years since the awarding of redress in 1988, we have seen a great expansion in the stories that get covered under Japanese American history, and in the diversity and depth […]
FULL COUNT: The latest on trio of Japanese arms
July 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A week after the All-Star break, three Japanese starting pitchers find themselves in very different situations. Just prior to the All-Star Game, the New York Yankees received the awful news that rookie right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (12-4) has a partially torn elbow ligament and there is no clear timeline for his return. The Yankees are hopeful […]
FULL COUNT: Spring Training and World Baseball Classic under way
March 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Baseball is back and that’s a good thing. The Arizona Cactus League and Florida Grapefruit League began play on Feb. 22, and the 2013 World Baseball Classic started on March 1. San Francisco Giants infielder Kensuke Tanaka had a slow start in the desert, but on March 2 against the Chicago Cubs he went 2-for-5 […]
FULL COUNT: Godzilla retires as Spring Training nears
January 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
As expected, former Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui officially retired on Jan. 3. The Houston Astros had been interested in 38-year-old, but injuries forced him from playing in the World Baseball Classic and ultimately out of baseball. Matsui enjoyed success throughout his two decades in Japan and the majors, winning championships in both leagues. He was […]
What happens when goodwill and baseball collide?
July 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
BANZAI BABE RUTH: BASEBALL, ESPIONAGE, & ASSASSINATION DURING THE 1934 TOUR OF JAPAN By Robert K. Fitts (Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2012, 368 pp., $34.95, hardcover) Some 17 years after Nomo opened the door for Japanese players into the Major Leagues, author Robert K. Fitts has written his third book on the subject […]
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