Japanese baseball needs to recognize its own strength if it is going to cope with the departures of top players like Daisuke Matsuzaka to the US, one of the game's four US managers said yesterday.
Trey Hillman, set to begin his fifth season at the helm of the Nippon Ham Fighters, said Japan's victory in last year's World Baseball Classic shows that the game is played at a level here equal to anywhere in the world.
"If that didn't wake up the world to the strength of Japanese baseball, then shame on the world," Hillman told reporters at a luncheon in Tokyo. "If that didn't wake up the Japanese media and the Japanese players to the strength of Japanese players, then shame all of [them], too."
"Japan won the first WBC, period," he added.
When it comes to money, Japanese baseball can't compete with its Major League counterpart, said Hillman, who led the Fighters to their first Japan Series title in 44 years last season.
But the game can compete when it comes to the quality of its players, and the teams need to recognize and emphasize this if they want players to stay and keep the fans coming to the ballpark, he said.
"Stop telling the kids that baseball is better in the United States," Hillman said.
The Fighters will be facing some challenges of their own this season. Star batter Michihiro Ogasawara left for Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants, while reliever Hideki Okajima will be joining Matsuzaka on the Boston Red Sox pitching staff.
The team also lost a big fan draw when colorful center fielder and one-time Major Leaguer Tsuyoshi Shinjo retired last fall.
But the Fighters also have an up-and-coming star in 20-year-old right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish.
Darvish, who is Japanese-born but has an Iranian father, is a leading candidate to be the opening-day pitcher when the Fighters open the regular season on March 24 against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium. He went 12-5 lastyear with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts, and his fastball last season reached a maximum speed of 153kph.
"How good do I think he can be? I think he can be the best in the world. He's not there yet ... but I think he can potentially pass a guy like Matsuzaka," Hillman said.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS