NPB Bullet Points: Saito Backs Kikuchi, Sponichi Now for Kids Too
It’s been one of those weeks, but the world of baseball carries on.
Japanese Articles:
- Waseda University pitcher Yuuki Saito is showing a little support for Yusei Kikuchi: “Kikuchi? The Majors, right. I think it’s a good idea. He throws fast and has good movement and control of is breaking pitches. He’s younger but I’m pulling for him. He really has his own way.” Saito was widely thought to be the first Japanese player to test jumping directly from amateur ball to the Majors, but Junichi Tazawa beat him to the punch.
- You might have picked this up on our Twitter feed already, but Keiichi Yabu isn’t quite ready to throw in the towel yet. The 40 year-old hung out Stateside for a while after the Giants cut him from Fresno, but he’s back in Japan now, with plans to return in October to work out for MLB clubs. Yabu has come off the scrap heap once already, so maybe he’ll get another shot.
- Stephen Randolph picked up his fourth win for the Yokohama BayStars. He’s done pretty well so far and at this pace I think he’ll get an invitation to return next year.
- Sponichi is becoming the first sports publication in Japan to publish an edition specifically intended for kids. Why am I mentioning this here? Because children’s books are a great way to learn Japanese, even as adults. I wish this would have been around when I was really learning Japanese.
- Jon Heyman’s mention of Hideki Matsui made it back to the Japanese media.
- With the independent Kansai League struggling to survive, female knuckleballer Eri Yoshida is going to get a start in an effort to draw out a few fans. Her manager wants to get at least three innings out of her.
- According to baseball sources, MLB’ers Brett Tomko and David Dellucci could look to Japan after this season.
Lastly, this isn’t NPB related, but my favorite player as kid growing up in Chicago was Harold Baines. In a backwards kind of way, this hilarious Onion article points out how underrated he was.
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19/09/2009 at 12:04 pm Permalink
Saito was widely thought to be the first Japanese player to test jumping directly from amateur ball to the Majors
Huh, first?
Randolph will be back.
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/npb/news/CK2009091902000124.html
19/09/2009 at 12:08 pm Permalink
Huh, first?
Okay, lemme rephrase it…
“Saito was widely thought to eventually become the first significant Japanese player to test jumping directly from amateur ball to the Majors”
19/09/2009 at 12:18 pm Permalink
In that case, has Tazawa beaten him?
19/09/2009 at 12:25 pm Permalink
“Beat” is a relative term, Tazawa just happens to be older. But yes, Tazawa is clearly the most notable Japanese player to jump from amateur ball to the US. Kazuhito Tadano would probably be second.
19/09/2009 at 12:36 pm Permalink
“Beat†is a relative term
So is “notable.” Mac Suzuki has 16 wins.
19/09/2009 at 12:38 pm Permalink
I’ll concede that. But Mac was not well known as an amateur, a la Tazawa, Kikuchi and Saito.
19/09/2009 at 12:56 pm Permalink
>You might have picked this up on our Twitter feed already, but Keiichi Yabu isn’t >quite ready to throw in the towel yet. The 40 year-old lefty hung out Stateside for a >while after the Giants cut him from Fresno
Hello.
It’s my first time to post here.
I don’t think Keiichi Yabu is a lefty. Maybe you mistake him for Kei Igawa?
Both of them played in Hanshin Tigers before playing MLB and their first names are a bit similar so maybe you just get the two confused or something?
I’m Japanese but I’m a reader of this blog. I’m really amazed by how much detail you report here and I can learn a lot from this blog about NPB, which I already should be familiar with, though. Reading what I’m interested in like baseball in English help me improve my English.
I’m impressed with your dedication to this blog and enthusiasm to get NPB widely known overseas.
19/09/2009 at 1:08 pm Permalink
Thanks for your kind words. I know that Yabu isn’t a lefty… I don’t know why I wrote that. Lack of sleep I guess. More importantly, why didn’t passerby catch that???
I learned a lot of Japanese from baseball. The best advice I can think of for learning a foreign language is to find a topic you’re interested in and become fluent in that.
20/09/2009 at 7:37 am Permalink
So is “notable.†Mac Suzuki has 16 wins.
The thing also to remember with Mac Suzuki was expelled from high school in Japan which led him to go to the States early as his family got ahold of agent Don Nomura, where he got his start with Salinas.