Photo/Illutration Shohei Ohtani meets reporters at Tokyo Dome on March 8, a day before the Japanese national team plays its first game against China in the World Baseball Classic. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

When Major League Baseball players came to Japan for the first time on a large-scale tour in 1913 to play against Japanese amateur ballclubs, The Asahi Shimbun’s coverage of one of the games read like a zippy recitation by a “kodanshi” (professional storyteller).

It went something like this: “The thunderous applause and the roaring of the crowd went on for a while, jolting a napping crow awake. But the eyes of Foreign Shonosuke never left the ball.”

What awoke the crow was a home run, hit out of the park by a major leaguer. “Foreign Shonosuke” meant a “gyoji" (sumo referee) from abroad, implying an American baseball umpire.

John McGraw (1873-1934), who was manager of the New York Giants at the time, was one of the men who organized the world tour.

Called “the greatest manager” by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) in “The Old Man and the Sea,” McGraw is considered the founder of modern baseball and was known as a strict leader with an intense personality.

Once he brought his team to success and earned fame and fortune for himself, he started looking beyond the United States.

He wanted baseball’s appeal to become known around the world. After visiting Japan, the world tour 110 years ago was welcomed throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. His ambition shared common elements with Major League Baseball’s present global strategy.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic started on March 8. Major leaguers who were initially disinterested have since become serious and many stars are participating. The WBC offers welcome business prospects to counter baseball’s declining popularity today.

Thanks to Shohei Ohtani and other superstars, Major League Baseball, which seemed like something foreign in the past, has since become familiar. For the first time this year, a major leaguer of Japanese ancestry was chosen to represent the Japan team.

In the first game for the Japanese team today, I wonder if we’ll see a great play that will surprise a crow.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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