This year, 2026, Shohei Ohtani's low home run count has become a major topic of discussion in both Japan and the US. In 2024, Ohtani hit a league-leading 54 home runs, and in 2025, he hit a career-high 55 home runs, ranking second in the league. It's fair to say that everyone recognized Ohtani as a hitter capable of hitting many home runs. However, as of the end of May 2026, Ohtani’s home run count is only 10. If he continues at this pace, he will finish the season with 27

Seiya Suzuki, a Japanese Major League Baseball player who has been playing for the Chicago Cubs since 2022, is a renowned player in Japanese professional baseball, having achieved the league’s top batting average twice and the league’s highest on-base percentage twice. Furthermore, he has achieved a batting average of .300 or higher and 25 or more home runs for six consecutive years in Japanese professional baseball. This is a record achieved by only three players in Japanese

I have visited several museums commemorating MLB players on college or university campuses around the United States, and I have published my visits to these museums on this website. ...In the United States, museums commemorating MLB players are often located on college or university campuses, which I believe is completely different from Japan. I am not aware of any examples of museums commemorating professional baseball player on Japanese college or university campuses. Some

I believe that stealing bases is one of the most fascinating and exciting aspects of baseball. Therefore, I love players who steal many bases, and I always hope that such players will consistently emerge. However, it’s very disappointing that such players haven’t appeared in Major League Baseball recently. So, what is necessary for players to emerge who can steal many bases? Now, I’d like to talk about Babe Ruth. This might sound far-fetched, so you might be surprised, as Ba

The American film "12 Angry Men" (1957) was made nearly 70 years ago, but even today it remains captivating, thought-provoking, and deeply moving. I think it's no wonder that many people call it a masterpiece. I love this film and have probably watched it at least 100 times on DVD. No matter how many times I watch it, I never tire of it. I'm always impressed by Reginald Rose's screenplay, Sidney Lumet's masterful direction and editing. The performances of the cast, including

My initial interest in 3,000 career hits in Major League Baseball was sparked by Stan Musial (who died in 2013 at the age of 92). My interest in 3,000 career hits grew stronger, and I became interested in their relationship to single-year hits, thanks to Al Simmons (who died in 1956 at the age of 54). And with the move of our Japanese hero, Ichiro, to Major League Baseball, my interest in the relationship between 3,000 career hits and single-year hits increased even further.

In the summer of 2016, I was driving east on I-10 (Interstate 10) near the Gulf of Mexico (now the Gulf of America) across the vast state of Texas. As I finally left Texas and entered the neighboring state of Louisiana, I suddenly had a thought. “That’s a good opportunity to visit the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. I’m sure there will be an exhibit about the man who created a new tradition. It’s strange that I haven’t tried to visit it before.” So, in the middle of I-10, I g

I think “Every Pitcher Tells a Story” by Seth Swirsky is a wonderful book. It’s rare to find such an entertaining and thought-provoking book about Major League Baseball. “EVERY PITCHER TELLS A STORY” by Seth Swirsky (1999, Times Books, Random House) This book primarily features answers from Major League pitchers to the author’s questions. Each pitcher’s case is without exception fascinating and thought-provoking, but here I’d like to focus on Steve Carlton’s case. Steve Car

In June 2013, I was on a road trip through 12 states in the Southern and Midwestern United States, and during that trip I visited Royston, Georgia, a city of about 2,500 people. As I was driving down a road through the center of Royston, I noticed a large painting on the wall of a building facing the road, and I thought to myself with a grin, "As I thought, this man is very famous in this city." I parked my car to take photos of the painting. Ty Cobb painted on the wall of a

In Japan, there is a famous saying that has been passed down in relation to baseball. It is known by all baseball fans, and it is not uncommon to hear it uttered by announcers and commentators during live broadcasts of baseball games on radio and television, even during live broadcasts of Major League Baseball games. The saying goes, “The most entertaining score in baseball is 8 to 7.” Is this also said in the United States? I have never heard of it being said in United State

"Baseball: A History of America’ s Favorite Game" by George Vecsey is a fantastic book, and I think it’ s a must—read for anyone interested in Major League Baseball or who is thinking about becoming interested in it. “Baseball: A History of America’ s Favorite Game” by George Vecsey (2008, Random House Publishing Group) Japanese translation version of “Baseball: A History of America’ s Favorite Game” (translated by Yasuo Suzuki, Random House Kodansha Co., Ltd., 2007) There

In 2008, while driving around the United States, I stopped off in Minneapolis, Minnesota, because there was a place I really wanted to see. Since 1982, the home stadium of the Minnesota Twins, a major league baseball team in Minneapolis, Minnesota, had been the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly known as the Metrodome), but since 2010 it has been the newly constructed Target Field. So, what was the home stadium before the Metrodome? And what is it like now? Until 1981,

This time, I’d like to talk about baseball slang. As a Japanese person living in Japan, I’m not sure how often what’s known as English baseball slang is actually used in the United States. Let me give you some examples of such slang. 1) The protagonist of the American film “Meet John Doe” (1941) starring Gary Cooper is a baseball player. As for what level of baseball player he is, the protagonist himself refers to himself as a “bush league” baseball player. In this old 1941

The home run-robbing catch, where an outfielder jumps at the fence to catch a ball that is far enough away to be a home run and make an out, is a truly fascinating play for fans. It may even be said that this is the play in outfield defense that delights fans the most. Unfortunately, however, home run-robbing catches are extremely rare in Japanese professional baseball. Because the outfield fences are so high in Japan, outfielders often can’t make home run-robbing catches si

In the summer of 2009, I finally got to visit Alvin, Texas, a place I had always wanted to visit. It's the hometown of Nolan Ryan. A legendary pitcher with seven no-hitters and a career total of 5,714 strikeouts, Nolan Ryan is a hero to me, and I continue to feel a strong affinity for him, as he was born in 1947, the same year as me. I'd also like to mention something else: I have a friend (a Japanese woman younger than me) who saw Nolan Ryan when he was still playing and fe