In the winter of 1934, Babe Ruth and a band of big league barnstormers traveled to Japan to take the game of baseball to the Far East. Riding a motorcycle, Ruth was greeted by thousands of cheering Japanese people as he traveled from city to city. Hall of Fame players such as Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, and Lou Gehrig, as well as Babe Ruth were among the fourteen players who played a series of twenty-two games in Japan that winter. Two years later the Japanese Professional Baseball League was formed and the rest is history.
Baseball, known as America’s pastime, has been around in this country since the American Civil War. It’s been said that Union soldier Abner Doubleday invented the game after the Battle of Gettysburg. The first professional American team recognized is the Cincinnati Red Stockings that formed in 1876. It’s safe to say that baseball has a well versed and storied past in this country. The game stems from climactic folk heroes such as Babe Ruth to esteemed villains such as Barry Bonds and Shoeless Joe Jackson. There have been scandals, dramatic post-season finishes, labor strikes, historic record controversy, and even gambling, but the game itself has remained steadfast.
Only now in the 21st century is the game beginning to take a foot hold in other countries. This past March, the sport held its second World Baseball Classic. It is a global tournament between member nations to determine superiority and dominance within the sport. Baseball has spread as far south to the Caribbean Islands, across the Atlantic to Italy and Greece, and has spread as far east into Japan and the rest of Asia, where it is quite arguably the most popular of all, second only by the United States.
The initiation that Babe Ruth gave the game in the winter of 1934 to the citizens of Japan ignited a passion in that country that has taken shape now for over seventy-five years. Only now are we beginning to market to that country in ways we could have only dreamed about in the past.
Japan is an island location, located in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean comprising of over 3,000 islands. A major economic power, Japan has the world’s second largest economy by nominal GDP and the third largest purchasing power parity. It is also the world’s fourth largest exporter and the sixth largest importer. It’s a developed country with high living standards and boasts the longest life expectancy in the entire world. Its history dates back to nearly 30,000 B.C., and for much of that time period, complete power was held by the Emperor.
The twentieth century brought many changes to Japan including its involvement in World War II. Ironically, during that time period it was Japanese ball players who once cherished American culture and sports were now crying out to the masses, “To hell with Babe Ruth!”
It wasn’t until after the Second World War that they’re economy began to thrive again and with that, the country began to divulge into leisure activities such as baseball. All of the sudden, the Japanese culture embraced the sport once again and continued on with its storied past.
Sadaharu Oh played for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League from 1959-1980. Over the span of 22 seasons, Oh hit 868 career homeruns, which is a record that stands to this day in Japan and is likely never to be broken. This is mostly due to the style of baseball played there, which emphasizes small ball and sacrificing runners. If Sadaharu Oh had played in the American Major Leagues, he would have broken Babe Ruth’s record by over 100 Homeruns. The entire fabric of how American’s view the hollowed homerun record would have been changed forever. Babe Ruth would be a mere footnote in American history instead of a cultural icon. Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron would be an afterthought, and the entire game itself would be different.
Sadaharu Oh played for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League from 1959-1980. Over the span of 22 seasons, Oh hit 868 career homeruns, which is a record that stands to this day in Japan and is likely never to be broken. This is mostly due to the style of baseball played there, which emphasizes small ball and sacrificing runners. If Sadaharu Oh had played in the American Major Leagues, he would have broken Babe Ruth’s record by over 100 Homeruns. The entire fabric of how American’s view the hollowed homerun record would have been changed forever. Babe Ruth would be a mere footnote in American history instead of a cultural icon. Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron would be an afterthought, and the entire game itself would be different.
However, in that period of time, American’s viewed Japanese baseball as inferior to the American version. It’s been said by many baseball historians that Oh would not have been as successful had he had a chance to compete in the Major Leagues. Additionally, in that period of time, baseball was just then getting used to the idea of having black ballplayers in its league. The American game was in no shape whatsoever to welcome any Asian into the mix.
The first player to reach the major leagues from Japan was Hideo Nomo who was a star rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. All he did was win the rookie of the year, throw two no-hitters and lead the entire league in strikeouts twice. “Nomo-Mania” had commenced. He is credited for essentially paving the way for Japanese ball players to relocate into the United States. After finding a loophole in his Japanese professional contract, Nomo was able to leave his country behind and go on to dominate the National League. Others since, have soon followed in his footsteps.
Ichiro Suzuki is credited as the first position player to leave the Japanese leagues for greener pastures in the United States. Since his major league career started in 2001, he has been considered annually as one of the leagues best hitters, and has an outside shot at making the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, which if it occurs, he will become the first Japanese born ball player to do so.
Major League Baseball benefitted measurably in 2001 by allowing for fans in Japan for the first time to vote on the players in the All-Star Game. The result was the highest voter turnout in league history and Ichiro became the highest vote getter. This essentially set the precedent of beginning to market the American game to Japan.
As a result, Ichiro merchandise sales in Japan set all-time highs and Major League profits began to rise substantially. Ichiro’s team, the Seattle Mariners became the most popular team in Japan. The Mariners were even more popular than all of the teams in the Japanese Professional Leagues, and as a result every one of their games was televised in Japan. This allowed for additional marketing opportunities. Suddenly, Japanese companies were buying advertisement sign boards inside of Seattle’s own Safeco Park. The games began to be broadcast by Japanese broadcasters, and an influx of Japanese media began to take over the Mariners’ press box. Ichiro became not only an American fascination, but a global empire, that took Japan by storm. Ichiro became the legend that Sadaharu Oh had only dreamed of becoming. Not only that, American baseball owners were profiting in ways that they never thought could actually happen.
What had started in 1995 with Hideo Nomo as an anomaly became a full-fledged marketing opportunity in the spring of 2001 with Ichiro Suzuki. Somewhere in between, the American game became even more popular in Japan then the domestic version. Japanese fans complained of the boring conservative brand being played locally that had dominated the country for over seventy years, in favor for the exciting, free-willing style of American Baseball. In Japan, it is commonplace to sacrifice oneself for the good of the team. This led to low scoring affairs with little fan fair. It was clear that the Japanese preferred the 3-run Homerun to the sacrifice bunt. Japan became enamored with American Stars such as Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. All of whom appeared larger than life to the Japanese public.
Finally Major League baseball began to understand how to market itself outside of its own country. The league owners realized that Japan was a huge un-tapped market. Slowly, they have begun to infiltrate the market by selling baseball merchandise, equipment, advertisements, and corporate sponsorships. Not to mention essentially selling back its own home-grown players.
In 1995, it is estimated that Japan’s major satellite network, NHK, reached 7.4 million households. In that period of time, the network televised every start Hideo Nomo made even if it was at 4am, local Japanese time. Whenever Nomo pitched, it became a national news story. Japanese travel agents began to sell “Nomo Tours’ to Los Angeles that included tickets to Dodger games. By the time Ichiro reached the Major Leagues in 2001, the satellite network had doubled in household size, and has been growing exponentially ever since.
Additionally, American-Japanese baseball relations have reached into popular culture. In 1992, Tom Selleck starred in the film Mr. Baseball. The plot revolved around an aging American Ballplayer that was put on the trading block with the New York Yankees in favor of a younger prospect. He then resurrected his career by going over to Japan to play. There he learned to embrace the Japanese version of the game and continue his successful career. The film was a huge blockbuster hit in Japan, and is a further example of a marketing opportunity in that country.
In 2006, Trey Hillman, manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters became one of the few American born managers to reach a God-like status to the population. That season he took the last place Fighters to win the Japanese World Series and as a result he was given the opportunity to manage in the American Major Leagues with the Kansas City Royals. Citizens on the island of Hokkaido, in northern Japan, celebrated Hillman’s success by opening up an American Style Texas barbeque restaurant in his honor. Pictures of Hillman from childhood to adulthood adorned the walls of the restaurant and he will forever be remembered as the American who rescued the failed Japanese club into a celebrated national champion.
Additionally, Hillman used his newfound platform as a stepping stone in relations between the two versions of the American-Japanese game. In some ways his managing style in the Japanese League has been adopted and reformed to fit a version of American Style. Hillman embraces lefty-righty balance within the lineup and continues to have a preference for pitching, speed and defense within his American roster, as opposed to power and slug which has been prevalent within the American game for over fifteen years. Hillman’s brand of baseball is not exactly new to the league, as variations of the philosophy was dominant within the 1960’s and 70’s. However, he has in fact adopted some Japanese drills that have become apart of the Kansas City Royals Spring Training routine.
Since the 1995, many players in both countries have crossed over the Pacific Ocean to play the game of baseball. Some have relocated in order to make significant more money and take part in “a coming out party,” while others have relocated to jumpstart a failed career in hopes of finding a roster that will accept them. Relocated players have to consider various variables when contemplating immigration to the new country. Language and cultural barriers are to name a few. However within time, most players adapt and if deemed successful, they become apart of the history of that brand of baseball to both the American and Japanese citizens alike.
It’s now been over 75 years since Babe Ruth and his barnstorming team took the field in Japan. Since that time the popularity of baseball has slowly begun to take shape and has emerged now as an institution in that country. The country is well represented in international competition and continues to show the world an adaptation of the style of game that is foreign to Americans but natural to its own populace. The Japanese brand will continue to influence how Americans view the game in the future and must consider it an honor to do so. Given the state of a global economy in today’s world, it’s no doubt that the Americans have identified a market that was previously unexploited and have done what they do best. That is to sell its brand to those that are willing to consume, and it’s clear that the Japanese are content to oblige. Babe Ruth never did have a clear vision of the excitement he started.
