THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 27, 2020 Page 7 Japanese Baseball By Th e Old Sachem A long time ago I served in the U.S. Army Security Agency in Hokkaido, Japan. The station had television sets so we could watch Japanese TV; we troopers watched Japanese Baseball when we had free time. Although I don’t remember the players of the 50s, I came across an article about a very talented catcher that I must have seen. Katsuya Nomura was to Japanese Baseball what Babe Ruth is to American Baseball. Katsuya was born June 29, 1935, in Kyotango, Kyoto, Japan, and died February 11, 2020, in Sentagaya, Tokyo, Japan. His fi rst National Professional Baseball (NPB) appearance was June 17, 1954, for the Nankai Hawks, and his last appearance was October 3, 1980, for the Seibu Lions. Nomura’s NPB statistics are as follows: batted right, threw right, .277 batting average, 2,901 hits, 657 home runs, 1,988 runs batted in; as a manager his teams won 1,565 games, lost 1,563 and had 78 ties. During his 26 seasons playing career, he became one of NPBs greatest off ensive catchers. He was awarded the Pacific League MVP fi ve times, became the fi rst NPB batter to win the triple crown in 1965, ASKS | from page 5 with the funeral services and burials? A: I haven’t had that issue yet. That has not come up for me. Q: Some of your [Saugus Faith Community] members have? A: No. Not that I know of. Q: I guess smaller graveside services are allowed, but larger ones are being postponed to memorial services later. A: Yes, but I haven’t heard anything here and I haven’t run into that one yet. Q: But because of the size of your congregation, you have to follow the governor’s order on social distancing and no groups of more than 25? A: Absolutely. The word of God stresses to obey the government, but it’s not just obedience to the government. It’s for people’s safety. It’s for people’s health. That’s the main reason. and holds the record for second most home runs and RBIs in NPB history. Katsuya was a player-manager for the last eight years he was with the Nankai Hawks (now the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks), leading them to the Pacific League title in 1973. After his playing career was fi nished, he became the fulltime manager for the Yakult Swallows and led them to four league titles and three Japan Series championships (like our World Series) from 1990 to 1998. Nomura managed the Hanshin Tigers for three seasons and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for four seasons, retiring in 2009. His 1,565 wins are the fi fth-highest of any manager in the NPB. Nomura was selected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Katsuya was born in the coastal fi shing village of Amino in the Kyoto Prefecture, and when he was only three years old his father died while serving in China for the Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. That led to poverty for the family and his older brother worked to support the family, allowing Katsuya to attend high school and play baseball. He graduated from the Mineyama High School then was signed by the We want to keep everybody safe and healthy and to keep the virus from spreading. If everybody would do their part and what we’re asked to do, I believe this virus would flatline and we would see life beginning to return to the way we know it. Q: Now, when was your last service? A: Two weeks ago. Q: Two weeks ago; did you have a good turnout then? A: We did. We had a full house. Q: About a hundred people? A: Yes. At that point, we were still able to come together, and we had a great service and a great time. And now, I believe, we will still have a great service and a great time, but it’s going to be online. Q: So, you are going to have a virtual service? ASKS | SEE PAGE 8 Bill Stewart The Old Sachem Nankai Hawks in 1954. He led the league in home runs eight straight seasons, although his home park, Osaka Stadium, measured only 276 feet down the lines until 1972 and was increased to 300 feet after – small dimensions by American major league standards. Baseball started in Japan in 1872 and is currently among the most popular sports in the nation. It was introduced by an American, Horace Wilson, as a school sport. Wilson was a professor at the Kaisei Academy in Tokyo, and the fi rst adult organized team was in 1878, named the Shimbashi Athletic Club. The Tokyo Ichiko high school established a team to play against resident foreigners from the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, in Yokohama in 1896, and when the Japanese team won the local press pictured the team as national heroes, and this led to popularity for the sport and widespread participation. Professional baseball started in Japan in the 1920s but was relatively unknown until the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club, a team of allstars, was started up in 1934. The team played against Babe Ruth, Jimmy Fox, Lou Gehrig and Charlie Gehringer when the Americans travelled to Japan in the off season. The professional league was formed in 1936 and in 1950 developed into the two leagues, Central and Pacifi c. They apply most of the rules of American baseball, but most of the stadiums are small by American standards and would violate U.S. standards. Unlike the United States, games are played as nine innings, but twelve innings and ties are allowed for regular season games with a restriction that no new inning can start after three and one-half hours. A team cannot have more than four foreigners on the roster and cannot be all pitchers or all position players. The leagues have a playoff system wherein the second and third teams from each league start the playoff s and the winner of each series plays the number one team of each league. The two teams that win their leagues playoff s then play the Japan Series, which is similar to our World Series. Japan has won the World Baseball Classic two times since the creation of the tourney. Japanese teams have played in the Little League World Series since 1962 and won 11 times. Fifty-eight Japanese have played in the MLB; the first was Masanon Murakami for the San Francisco Giants in 1964. The Red Sox have had seven pitchers from Japan: Hideo Nomo in 1995, Tomkazu Ohka from 19992001, Daisuka Matsuzaka from 2007-2012, Hideki Okajima from 2007-2011, Takashi Saito in 2009, Junichi Tazawa from 2009-2016 and Koji Uehara from 2013-2016. Japan is second to the United States in baseball capabilities and has made signifi cant progress in the baseball world. Law Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today
8 Publizr Home