YAKYU BY THE NUMBERS: Wakamatsu Ties for Fourth in AL Manager Award

The odds were against Don Wakamatsu before the voting even began. Despite leading the Mariners to a 24-game turnaround in 2009, the Seattle manager really had little chance of winning the AL Manager of the Year Award. In the 27-year history of the award only four managers of teams that didn’t make the playoffs won […]

YAKYU BY THE NUMBERS: So Long to the States: Yakyu Vets Say Sayonara

Japan has lost some of its best players to the United States over the years, including Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Daisuke Matsuzaka. In 2009, no less than 18 Japanese players, which is perhaps the largest number ever, took the field in major leagues. However, in what might be a reversal of fortune, at least […]