At approximately 3:25 p.m. on January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, carrying 155 passengers and crew. However, shortly after takeoff, while still flying at a low altitude of just 850 meters, a bird strike caused a complete loss of thrust in both engines. Naturally, the flight was impossible, and the altitude was insufficient to turn and return to LaGuardia. Attempting to return would have resulted in a crash into downtown New York. Despite the dire situation, the experienced and capable pilot remained calm and made a decision that would later be lauded: to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River, which flows between New York and New Jersey. After the pilot successfully completed the emergency landing, the New York City Police Department's dive unit and a private ferry operating on the Hudson River rushed to the scene and rescued all passengers and crew. While watching the American film “Sully” (2016), which depicts this miraculous true event, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoa!" at one scene. One of the seven ferries that rushed to the scene on the Hudson River was named after a man who had a major impact on my life. That ferry's name was “Yogi Berra” When I was eight years old, I watched a New York Yankees game live at the stadium when they came to Japan in 1955. That experience sparked my lifelong interest in Major League Baseball, and among the Yankees who came to Japan was Yogi Berra (who passed away in 2015 at the age of 90), a legendary catcher who remains a shining light in the history of Major League Baseball. Yogi Berra played amazingly and fascinated me. By the way, the script for this movie is really brilliant. There's no way a non-existent ferry would appear in such a movie. But just to be sure, I looked it up on the Internet and found that a ferry named Yogi Berra did exist. It was the summer of 2017. I visited New York City for the first time in a while, and my main purpose was to get on the “Yogi Berra”. I'm sure there will be people who will nitpick and say, "What's the point of getting on the Yogi Berra?" To such nitpickers, I can only answer, "There's no point. But I want to get on it." So, after arriving in New York City, I called NY WATERWAY, the company that owns the “Yogi Berra”, to find out what time and where I should be to board the “Yogi Berra”. The person who answered the phone was very kind, but... I went to Pier 79 at 1:30, bought a ticket, and decided to wait while chatting with a young white woman who was working as a guide near the ticket counter. Pier 79 "I'm a tourist from Japan, and I was surprised at how few people use the ferry," The woman replied with a smile. "Many people use the ferry for work, so it's quiet at this time of day. It gets quite crowded in the mornings and evenings." However, when I told her that I was an avid Major League Baseball fan and had bought a ticket to get on the “Yogi Berra”, the lady said "Wait a minute," and began to operate her computer seriously. What? After finishing her operations, the lady explained with an apologetic look on her face. All ferry routes operate on schedule, but the ferries that operate on each route are subject to change. The Yogi Berra's route for that day had also changed. However, I was told that if I went to Pier 11 and took the 3:30 ferry to a town in New Jersey on the other side of the Hudson River, I could return to Pier 11 on the Yogi Berra, which departs from that town at 4:03. I hurried in a taxi from Pier 79 to Pier 11, which is quite far, and took the 3:30 ferry. However, when I arrived in the town in New Jersey, the 4:03 ferry was not the “Yogi Berra”. It had changed again. But I wasn’t going to give up just because of something like this , and I decided that I would keep trying until I was able to get on the “Yogi Berra”. Passengers disembarking from the NY Waterway ferry at Pier 11 There are three routes from that city to New York City. If I wait for the last ferry on all three routes, the “Yogi Berra” might arrive. I resolved to wait until after 1 a.m. The NY Waterway ferry on the Hudson River New York City skyscrapers as seen from the NY Waterway ferry running on the Hudson River. But after about 20 minutes of waiting, a "miracle" happened. An intelligent-looking middle-aged man wearing a neat suit came up to me. He introduced himself as someone from the ferry company and said, "The Yogi Berra you wish to take will be arriving soon. You can take it and return to New York. The Yogi Berra will definitely be arriving this time. As an exception, this time you can take the Yogi Berra without a ticket." I was surprised, but at the same time, I was very happy and touched. The young female guide at Pier 79 must have been concerned about me and informed the company about my circumstances, appearance, and clothing, and the company must have checked the Yogi Berra's operating status. The man had then gone out of his way to find me. I replied, "Thank you for your kind consideration. However, I have already purchased tickets for all three routes to New York, so I will use my tickets to get on the Yogi Berra. Which route is the upcoming Yogi Berra?" The man looked a little surprised, then smiled. As we parted, I looked him in the eye, expressed my gratitude, and shook his hand. And so, I was finally able to get on the long-awaited “Yogi Berra” and returned to Pier 11 in New York. The ferry named Yogi Berra When US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency water landing in the Hudson River, a company called NY Waterway did an amazing job rescuing the passengers and crew. They also made an amazing effort to allow me to get on the “Yogi Berra”. I am extremely grateful to this company. Now, let me honestly write down what I thought after finally getting on the Yogi Berra. Other than its name, there is nothing about the Yogi Berra that makes it different from other ferries. So, I have to admit that the only thing that made it special was that I was on a ferry named Yogi Berra. For example, there was no difference between the ferry I took from Pier 11 heading to the city in New Jersey and the Yogi Berra, and the skyscrapers of New York City looked the same from both ferries. That's only natural, isn't it? Still, I was very happy to be on a ferry named after someone who had a major impact on my life. Finally, I'd like to mention one more thing. There were also ferries named after well-known presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. I was happy to see that Yogi Berra, the man who had a major impact on my life, was being treated equally with these great presidents. The ferry named Thomas Jefferson (If I  ' ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I  ' ll try to make corrections or additions.)

From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, the New York Yankees had a great catcher named Yogi Berra, who was selected as the regular season MVP three times and whose name will forever remain in the history of MLB. The Yankees were in a golden age during Yogi Berra's time with the team, and he won the World Series a total of 10 times. Yogi Berra is also an unforgettable Major League Baseball player for me. I became an avid MLB fan after watching a Yankees game live at the stadium when they visited Japan in 1955, and Yogi Berra was among the visiting team. At the time, a magazine was published introducing the Yankees' visit to Japan, and I still vividly remember the image of Yogi Berra in the magazine, standing up and holding up the catcher's mitt on his left hand. Yogi Berra was such an impressive player. Seeing him play at the stadium was also captivating. Yogi Berra passed away in 2015 at the age of 90. Now, Yogi Berra will go down in history for more than just his great play. He uttered many famous and perhaps strange(?) quotes. These quotes may seem full of meaning, but in fact they are just obvious things, or they don't mean anything at all, or they are simply mistakes in wording. But they are interesting. Yogi Berra's sayings have been dubbed "Yogi-isms" and have been passed down through the generations. Here are some concrete examples: "It ain't over'til it's over" (This is a very obvious statement, but it somehow seems meaningful, doesn't it?), "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six" (The amount of pizza is the same whether you cut it into four or six, right?), and "If people don't want to come to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them? " (I understand what he is trying to say, but the way he uses words is a bit of a problem, isn't it?). By the way, there is a really interesting book titled "The Yogi Book" (Workman Publishing) that mainly features Yogi Berra quotes. There is one thing in this book that I think is a bit problematic. It is a quote from Nolan Ryan, the legendary pitcher who holds the Major League record for career strikeouts with 5,714, about Yogi Berra, in which he says, "If Yogi had gone to college, they would have made him talk clearer, but not better." "THE YOGI BOOK"by Yogi Berra (WORKMAN PUBLISHING Company, 1999) I love and respect the great Nolan Ryan, but I think this statement is a bit problematic. Isn't it a problem if studying at university only teaches you to speak clearer, but not better?  If you study at university, you should also be able to speak better. Otherwise, what's the point of studying at university? Nolan Ryan may have simply said this to clearly convey the fun and greatness of Yogi-isms , and he may have simply brought up college education for that purpose. If that's the case, then my comment would be extremely rude. ...I'm beginning to think that this is not if, but true and that my comments are rude. ( If I've made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I'll try to make corrections or additions.)

Last year, in 2025, Paul Skenes was selected as the National League Cy Young Award winner. I think that was a predictable and natural selection. However, in Japan, many people were very disappointed that Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not win the award. These people seemed to assume that Yamamoto's postseason performance would be considered for the Cy Young Award, even though that is not the case. A Japanese sports magazine features Yoshinobu Yamamoto on its cover at the moment of the 2025 World Series victory (in Japanese, Sports Graphic Number, BUNGEISHUNJU Ltd., November 20, 2025, Tokyo, Japan) So, will Yamamoto be able to win the Cy Young Award in the future? This time, I'd like to consider the answer to this question by looking at Yamamoto's performance during his time in Japan. In a column titled " Pitcher's Triple Crown " included on this website, I wrote about how Yamamoto won the Pitcher's Triple Crown (leading in wins, ERA, and strikeouts) in each of his final three years in Japan (2021, 2022, and 2023) before moving to the Major Leagues. I also wrote that not only has Yamamoto been the only pitcher in Japanese professional baseball to win the Pitcher's Triple Crown three consecutive years, but also that no other pitcher has ever won the Pitcher's Triple Crown three times, and that while there are pitchers in the Major Leagues who have won the Pitcher's Triple Crown three times, no one has done so three times in a row. I didn't mention in that column that Yamamoto won Japan’s prestigious Eiji Sawamura Award during the three years he won the Pitcher's Triple Crown. The Eiji Sawamura Award is awarded in memory of the legendary Eiji Sawamura, a pitcher who flourished in the early days of Japanese professional baseball in the 1930s and 1940s. In the United States, the Eiji Sawamura Award is often described as the equivalent of Major League Baseball's Cy Young Award, which is not incorrect. However, there are several differences between the Cy Young Award and the Eiji Sawamura Award, which I will briefly explain here. The Cy Young Award is given to two pitchers, one from each of the two leagues, but the Eiji Sawamura Award is given to only one pitcher from across both leagues. The Cy Young Award is primarily given to starting pitchers, but it can also be given to relief pitchers, although the number of recipients is quite small. On the other hand, the Eiji Sawamura Award is exclusively given to starting pitchers. Unlike the Cy Young Award, which is voted on by reporters, the Eiji Sawamura Award is selected by deliberation by a five-member selection committee. Furthermore, the selection criteria are clearly stated: number of games pitched (25 or more), number of complete games (10 or more), number of wins (15 or more), winning percentage (60% or more), number of innings pitched (200 or more), number of strikeouts (150 or more), and ERA (2.50 or less). The award is made based on these criteria, but the winner does not have to meet all of them. As the division of roles between pitchers, such as starters, setup pitchers and closers, is progressing in Japanese professional baseball, just like in Major League Baseball, the number of complete games required will be eight or more, and the number of innings pitched will be 180 or more, starting from 2026. Five pitchers, including Yamamoto, have won the Eiji Sawamura Award three times, but only one other pitcher has won it three years in a row (Masaichi Kaneda, the Japanese record holder with 400 career wins). Incidentally, other Japanese pitchers who have also played in the Major Leagues and received the award besides Yamamoto include Koji Uehara (twice), Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kei Igawa, Kenshin Kawakami, Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, Kenta Maeda (twice), Masahiro Tanaka (twice), and Tomoyuki Sugano (twice). Eleven pitchers have won the Cy Young Award three or more times (including some incredible pitchers like Roger Clemens, who won it seven times, and Randy Johnson, who won it five times!), but only Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson have won it for three or more consecutive years, both of whom won it four years in a row. I hope what I’ve written so far has made it clear to you just how outstanding a starting pitcher Yamamoto was in the history of Japanese professional baseball, but Yamamoto didn't immediately become a star after joining a professional baseball team. Yamamoto joined a professional baseball team in 2017, but he began to stand out in 2019, his third year with the team. That was the year he cleared the required number of innings pitched for the first time and had the best ERA in the league. Then, in 2020, his fourth year, he led the league in strikeouts. From 2021, his fifth year, two years after clearing the required number of innings pitched for the first time, he became the pitcher's triple crown winner for three consecutive years and won the Eiji Sawamura Award. Yamamoto moved to the majors in 2024, but due to an injury midway through the season, he only pitched 90 innings with a 7-2 record and a 3.00 ERA, which wasn't particularly impressive. However, in his second year in 2025, he stayed in the rotation throughout the season, posting a 12-8 record with a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts, clearing the required number of innings pitched (173.2 innings). While none of these results were league-leading and he missed out on the Cy Young Award, they were still impressive. A book about Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s pitching techniques during his time in Japan (by Daisuke Nakajima, in Japanese, SHINCHOSHA Publishing Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 2023) Considering Yamamoto's overwhelming performance in Japan, winning the Pitcher's Triple Crown and the Eiji Sawamura Award for three consecutive years starting two years after he first cleared the required number of innings pitched, it's safe to expect that Yamamoto, who cleared the required number of innings pitched for the first time in the major leagues last year in 2025, will perform even better in 2026 than he did last year and begin to produce results worthy of the Cy Young Award. I truly hope that this will be the case. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll make corrections or additions.)

In June 2013, while on a road trip around the United States, I visited Demorest, Georgia, a small city with a population of less than 2,000. Johnny Mize (who died in 1993 at age 80), one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, was born and raised in Demorest. He studied at Piedmont College in Demorest, where he devoted himself to baseball and became a major leaguer. Piedmont College houses the “Johnny Mize Athletic Center”, a memorial to him. Johnny Mize played in the Major Leagues from 1936 to 1953, playing for three teams during that time: the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants), and the New York Yankees. During his prime, he missed three years of playing time due to military service during World War II, but during his 15 years as a player he achieved impressive results, winning the batting average title once, the home run title four times, and the RBI title three times. His career batting average of .312 is also impressive. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. When I arrived in Demorest, I got lost. Despite being a small city, it seemed to be a major transportation hub, with many impressive roads intersecting in a rather complicated manner. “This is bad,” I thought, panicking and decided to run into a gas station to ask. When I asked a young white man at the gas station how to get to Piedmont College, he grinned and said, “Where are you from?” “From Japan.” “I see, so it's no wonder you didn't know where it was.” The man continued, pointing to the road in front of the gas station. “Piedmont College is just a few minutes down that road. By the way, what do you want there?” “I'm a huge Major League Baseball fan, and I wanted to see Johnny Mize's alma mater.” “Wow. I'm so happy that you made the effort to come all the way to our town for that reason. Is Johnny Mize famous in Japan?” “No, unfortunately he's not that famous, I don't know why.” I honestly don't know why Johnny Mize is so unknown in Japan; I don't think anyone would know him unless they're a big fan of Major League Baseball I arrived at a beautiful university surrounded by greenery that was enough to make me envious. At the same time, I was amazed and overwhelmed. Even though Piedmont College isn't specifically an athletics university, it boasts a total of three baseball fields: one spacious, full-scale baseball field (with luxurious spectator seating behind the backstop and even an electronic scoreboard at the back of center field), one spacious, full-scale softball field (which also has an electronic scoreboard at the back of center field), and one full-scale soccer field. It was truly breathtaking. The baseball field on the Piedmont College campus The “Johnny Mize Athletic Center” was a beautiful, single-story building. There was a plaque on the wall near the entrance that read, “Erected in the fall of 2000 in memory of Demorest native and Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize.” A notice posted at the entrance to the Johnny Mize Athletic Center As I opened the entrance door and entered, my eyes were drawn to a large sign in the window of the cafeteria at the back of the spacious lobby. The sign had Johnny Mize's famous nickname, “BIG CAT,” emblazoned in large letters. It was a reminder of first baseman Johnny Mize's agile fielding, almost like a cat. "Big Cat" written in large letters on the window A side note: when I said to a Japanese friend who claims to be a Major League Baseball expert, “Johnny Mize's defense was superb, wasn't it?” my friend looked at me skeptically and said something really ridiculous: “That can't be true, because Johnny Mize never won a Gold Glove Award.” The Gold Glove Award was established in 1957, four years after Johnny Mize retired. If the Gold Glove Award had existed when Johnny Mize was still playing, he would have won it multiple times. This is a good example of how ignorant history can lead to some pretty ridiculous mistakes. The spacious lobby of the “Johnny Mize Athletic Center” also serves as the “Johnny Mize Museum”. But as I entered the lobby, I thought, “Huh? Something's strange.” There was no one there. There was no one in the cafeteria, either—staff or customers. It was eerily quiet. Come to think of it, the entire university campus was deserted, too. “What on earth is going on?” I wondered, but after thinking about it for a while, I realized the reason: it was already summer vacation. I had completely forgotten that, unlike in Japan, universities in the United States begin their summer vacation after mid-June. But still, was it really okay to be so careless? Aren't they worried about someone sneaking in and stealing the baseball equipment and photographs used by Johnny Mize that are on display in the museum?  Well, I'm not that kind of guy, so I decided to take a good look around. As I began to look at the exhibits, a middle-aged white man suddenly appeared, so I tried to call out to him, but although he must have been aware of my presence, he completely ignored me and walked past me at an incredible speed as if he were taking part in a racewalking, and disappeared somewhere. I was surprised, but then I thought, “If that man doesn't seem to mind my presence, then I guess it's okay for me to look around this building as I please,” and so I did. First, I took my time looking at the exhibits in the “Johnny Mize Museum”. There was an impressive display shelf for each of the three teams Johnny Mize played for, and each one was filled with photographs, newspaper articles, uniforms, gloves, and other items documenting Johnny Mize's achievements. Looking through them in order, I got a really good understanding of Johnny Mize's career as a major leaguer. This was possible because the display method was excellent. An exhibit about Johnny Mize's time with the St. Louis Cardinals An exhibit about Johnny Mize's time with the New York Giants An exhibit about Johnny Mize's time with the New York Yankees In addition to the museum, the center also housed a magnificent basketball arena (so impressive it could easily host NBA games!), many office-like rooms, and a gym equipped with luxurious equipment. I was amazed and envious that even a university in a small city in the United States could have such excellent facilities. Another thing I envy is that a museum commemorating the major leaguer is located at the university he graduated from. I’m not aware of any examples in Japan of a museum commemorating a professional baseball player being located at the player’s alma mater. I suspect there are no such examples at all. It even seems as if Japanese universities don't feel the need to openly pay tribute to any professional baseball player. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

Recently, I learned that there are quite a few young people who don't know the extremely famous Christmas song, "White Christmas." I wasn't surprised by this fact, because "White Christmas" is an old song and people have different interests. But then it occurred to me. There are some things about "White Christmas" that even older people don't realize. So, this time I'll be talking about "White Christmas." "White Christmas" was first sung by Bing Crosby, the lead actor in the American film "Holiday Inn" (1942). DVD of the movie “Holiday Inn”( Japanese version) Bing Crosby is extremely famous as a singer and actor, but what is less known is that he was such a big baseball fan that he was even a part-owner of the major league baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bing Crosby's love of baseball is also evident in the American film "Going My Way" (1944), in which he even appears wearing a jumper from the major league baseball team, the St. Louis Browns (the precursor to the current Baltimore Orioles). By the way, "Holiday Inn" was remade in 1954 with a slightly different plot. The title was also changed to "White Christmas." Bing Crosby again stars in the lead role, but Danny Kaye also co-stars. DVD of the movie “White Christmas” (Japanese version) Danny Kaye is also very famous as a singer and actor, but what is less known is that he was once a co-owner of the major league baseball team, the Seattle Mariners. Come to think of it, Rosemary Clooney also appears in the movie "White Christmas." She's the aunt of the popular and handsome actor George Clooney. George Clooney also loves baseball and once tried out for a Major League Baseball team. So, there are three people with ties to Major League Baseball in the movie "White Christmas." ...But the third one might be a bit of a stretch. One final aside: The movie "White Christmas" is an important movie to me, even if I don't take into account the major leagues. The movie features a dance scene of George Chakiris when he was still unknown, before he became a big star in the masterpiece musical "West Side Story." ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

Since this year’s MLB schedule ended, several new managerial and coaching appointments have been announced. Some of these announcements have been what I consider to be rare or bold, such as Kurt Suzuki being named the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels and Tony Vitello being named the new manager of the San Francisco Giants. Kurt Suzuki, who played as a catcher in the major leagues for 16 years, retired in 2022, only three years ago, and he's still young at 42. It's fair to say that Kurt Suzuki is younger than usual for a manager....There’s even a 42-year-old active major leaguer, Justin Verlander. Since retiring, Kurt Suzuki has served as a special assistant to the general manager for the Los Angeles Angels, and has no coaching or managerial experience in either the major or minor leagues. It's probably safe to say that it's rare to appoint someone like this as a manager. To avoid any misunderstandings, I want to say this: I hope Kurt Suzuki will be successful as a manager. He's a third-generation Japanese American, and he played battery with my favorite player, Shohei Ohtani, on the Angels, so I've always felt a sense of affinity with him. The Giants' new manager, Tony Vitello, has had an impressive track record as manager of the University of Tennessee baseball team, but he has never played professional baseball or coached for a professional team. I think this kind of managerial appointment is a very American thing, and I love and admire that kind of America. In Japanese professional baseball, they would never do something so bold and unconventional, and they would never even think about it. I sincerely hope that Tony Vitello will be successful as a Major League manager. Now, there is one man in Major League Baseball whose managerial appointments were rarer, bolder and more unconventional than either Kurt Suzuki or Tony Vitello. It's hard to imagine a rarer, bolder and more unconventional managerial appointment than that. It happened with the New York Yankees. George Steinbrenner passed away in July 2010. He was a very well-known figure who had been the owner of the New York Yankees since 1973. There was one person who was famous for having repeated conflicts with George Steinbrenner: Billy Martin. A masterpiece biography that beautifully portrays the true story of Billy Martin by Bill Pennington (2016, Mariner Books) After playing for the Yankees, Billy Martin played for six teams before retiring in 1961. He then managed a minor league team and three major league teams before being hired by Steinbrenner as manager of the Yankees in 1975. It seems that Billy Martin was said to be an unconventional man. Even during his playing days, he was known for his love of alcohol and quick temper, and was said to have frequently gotten into brawls. It seems that this was the same after he became manager of the Yankees, and he was said to have even gotten into a huge fight on the bench with the owner's favorite key player. In the end, Billy Martin ended up being hired five times by Steinbrenner as manager of the Yankees, and fired five times. It's amazing that Steinbrenner would do something like that, and it's also amazing that Billy Martin would accept it. I think that Billy Martin maintained a strong love for the Yankees. In Japan, many people describe George Steinbrenner as arrogant and eccentric, as he was known for even commenting on players' clothing and beards. However, I quite like him, and I believe he's not as weird as people say, but rather a fun and entertaining character. For example, Steinbrenner appears as himself in the film “The Scout” (1994), where he delivers some very funny, self-deprecating lines with ease and great skill. This is something that someone who is simply unconventional could never do. What I write below should give you an idea of what I think about Billy Martin. When Billy Martin died in a car accident on Christmas Day 1989, it seems that many news articles appeared highlighting his unconventional side, such as his love of alcohol and short temper. However, Bob Greene wrote a heartfelt column that is completely different from those articles. It was a column titled "The Dream Legacy of Billy Marin" that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on December 31, 1989, six days after Billy Marin's death. A collection of Bob Greene’s columns in Japan featuring a wonderful column about Billy Martin, “The Dream Legacy of Billy Martin” (1991, translated by Kyosuke Kikuya, Shueisha Inc., Tokyo, Japan) So, what was in that column?  The town where Bob Greene was born and raised never had a major league baseball team. But in the mid-1950s, the Yankees came to town for an exhibition game. While none of the team's main players showed up, Billy Martin did and played hard. It was like a dream come true for the young Bob Greene. Billy Matin seems to be a special person to Bob Greene. I was born in 1947, the same year as Bob Greene. In 1955, at the age of eight, I went to see a live game at the stadium when the Yankees came to Japan. Billy Martin, a slender infielder, was playing with all his might. He didn't seem to be the slightest bit of a drinker or quick to fight. It was like a dream come true for me. Since then, I've become an avid Major League Baseball fan...Billy Martin is a special person to me too. Bob Greene and I aren't the only ones who think of Billy Martin as a special person. When Billy Martin was manager of Oakland Athletics, he led the team in an aggressive style of baseball that greatly pleased fans. Some people believe this style of baseball to be special, and have named this baseball style "Billy Ball" passing it down to future generations. The word "Billy Ball" appears in many standard English-Japanese dictionaries sold in Japan. It is extremely unusual for a word derived from a Major League Baseball player to appear in a standard English-Japanese dictionary. Apart from Billy Martin, there are very few other Major Leaguers whose names appear in the many standard English-Japanese dictionaries sold in Japan. From what I've researched, the only ones that appear are Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. Furthermore, there is the American film "Ocean's Thirteen" (2007), which stars popular actors such as George Clooney and Brad Pitt. In the middle of a conversation between the characters, the line "Billy Martin" suddenly appears, seemingly unrelated to the rest of the conversation. People unfamiliar with the history of Major League Baseball seem to have been completely confused by this line. I think that since Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Yankees, he was rehired and given a second chance, so "Billy Martin" is used as slang for "giving someone another chance." I also think that the people who made this film had a special attachment to Billy Martin, and that's why they came up with the new slang term "Billy Martin" to use. DVD of the movie “Ocean’s Thirteen” (Japanese version) This slang term is not yet widespread enough to be included in dictionaries. I sincerely hope that it will one day be included in many standard English-Japanese dictionaries sold in Japan. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

This year, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was selected as the 2025 National League MVP, unanimously so. As a huge Shohei Ohtani fan, I was thrilled by the result, but I was also surprised. I thought that while Shohei Ohtani might be selected, it wouldn't be a unanimous vote, and that it would be a close race between him and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies. While Shohei Ohtani, a two-way player, led in metrics like OPS and WAR, he didn’t win any of the three major batting titles (batting average, home runs, RBIs) or the three major pitching titles (wins, earned run average, strikeouts). Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber was the home run and RBI leader. And both contributed to their teams' division championships. Given that, it's not surprising to think that the MVP would be a close race between the two. However, when the results were announced, Shohei Ohtani was selected unanimously, which surprised me. Come to think of it, I was also surprised and thrilled when, four years ago in 2021, Shohei Ohtani was selected as the MVP by unanimous vote. No one seems to have noticed, but this selection result was unusual and the first of its kind in MLB history. Let's start with that story. A magazine celebrating Shohei Ohtani's remarkable performance in the 2025 regular season (in Japanese, KODANSHA Ltd., 2025) In 2021, Shohei Ohtani, playing for the Los Angeles Angels, had a remarkable season as a two-way player. He even achieved the first-ever "Quintuple 100" record. That is, he had 139 hits, 100 RBIs, and 103 runs as a batter, and 156 strikeouts and 130.1 innings pitched as a pitcher. He also led the American League in WAR. However, he didn't win any of the three major titles in either pitching or batting, and his OPS was second at .964. And his team didn't win a division title (fourth in the West Division). So, while Shohei Ohtani might be named MVP, I thought it would be a close race with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Guerrero Jr.'s team also didn't win a division title (fourth in the East Division), but he did win the home run title and led the league in OPS. However, Ohtani was selected unanimously for the American League MVP. I wasn't surprised that Shohei Ohtani was selected, but I was surprised that he received a unanimous vote, as this was unprecedented. Up until that point in Major League history, only 18 players had been selected as MVP by unanimous vote 18 times, and 16 of them had won at least one of the three major titles (batting average, home runs, and RBIs for batters; wins, ERA, and strikeouts for pitchers). The remaining two players hadn't won any of the three major titles but had contributed to their team's division title. In other words, in 2021, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in history to be selected as MVP by unanimous vote despite having neither won any of the three major titles nor been with a team that had won a division title. The reason this was such a groundbreaking achievement is likely because Shohei Ohtani's two-way performance was recognized as being worth that much. Incidentally, even after Shohei Ohtani in 2021, there has not been a single case of a player being selected as MVP by unanimous vote despite not having won any of the three major titles or been with a team that had not won a division title, so Shohei Ohtani must be in a class of his own. Here's a side note. I was deeply moved that Shohei Ohtani, and not Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was named the 2021 American League MVP. The reason for this lies in the selection results of the 2004 American League MVP. In 2004, Ichiro of the Seattle Mariners led the American League in batting average with a .372 batting average (this batting average is still the highest single-year batting average in the major leagues of the 21st century, and it's an amazing record that may never be broken!), and set an astonishing single-year record of 262 hits. He also led the league in WAR, and although Ichiro wasn't number one in OPS and the team was last in the West Division, I thought he deserved to be named the American League MVP. However, the winner was Vladimir Guerrero of the Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels) (what a coincidence, he's Guerrero Jr.'s father!), even though Vladimir Guerrero hadn't won any of the three major titles and wasn't number one in the league in OPS or WAR. However, the team did win the division. As a huge Ichiro fan, I was furious at the selection results, thinking, "Why Vladimir Guerrero and not Ichiro?" If the 2021 National League MVP had been Vladimir Guerrero Jr. instead of Shohei Ohtani, I might have thought, "The Guerreros are the nemesis of Japanese players!" I'm glad that didn't happen. At this point, there's something I really want to say about the Guerreros. I have absolutely no ill will towards them; in fact, I like them. I was moved by the sight of Guerrero Jr. crying on the dugout when the Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series. I was also impressed by what a wonderful father-son relationship they are when I learned that Guerrero Jr. said he wanted to win the World Series and give his father a championship ring, since his father had never experienced it. Now, Shohei Ohtani has been selected as MVP four times, in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025, all with unanimous votes. In 2021, he didn't win any of the three major titles, his OPS wasn't the top in the league, and his team didn't win the division title, but he led the league in WAR. In 2023, his team didn't win the division title, but he led in home runs and OPS and WAR. In 2024, he led in home runs and RBIs, OPS, and WAR, and his team won the division title. In 2025, he didn't win any of the three major titles, but he led in OPS and WAR, and his team won the division title. Looking at these results, it seems that OPS and WAR are more important than the three major titles or the team winning the division title in MVP selection. Furthermore, the example of Ichiro in 2004 suggests that achieving new record doesn't seem to be as important as OPS or WAR. This is even more evident in the result of this year’s American League MVP selection. Cal Raleigh not only led the league in home runs and RBIs, but also set new records for home runs by a catcher and a switch hitter in a season, yet he wasn't selected as MVP. The MVP was Aaron Judge, who led the league in OPS and WAR. Aaron Judge wasn't unanimous, though, and he was in a close race with Cal Raleigh.. As an avid MLB fan dating back to 1955, I still value the old MVP selection criteria: a team championship, the three major titles, and setting new records. However, times change, and the MVP selection criteria change, so perhaps I need to adjust my thinking accordingly. Finally, I'd like to introduce an incredibly wonderful book. It's a book in which Japanese baseball journalist Yuta Ishida conducts an extensive interview with Shohei Ohtani. The interviews were conducted from 2018, when Ohtani moved to the Major Leagues, until the start of the 2024 season, when he moved to the Dodgers. Since it's a Japanese book, I sincerely hope that an English translation will be published so that people in English-speaking countries can read it too. $2$ An incredibly wonderful interview with Shohei Ohtani by Yuta Ishida (in Japanese, Bungeishunju Ltd., 2024) Reading this book, I was impressed by how intelligent Shohei Ohtani is (he thinks about physical aspects and baseball techniques in an incredibly scientific and logical way!) and how dedicated he is to baseball. In the book, when asked, "What is the indicator for measuring a number one batter?" Shohei Ohtani answers, "Nowadays, it's OPS, right?". When asked another question, he also said, "What I consider important is OPS." As a huge Shohei Ohtani fan, I'm going to start placing more importance on OPS from now on. The book also introduces Shohei Ohtani's idea that "between the ages of 30 and 35, my technique and physical condition will match and I will reach my peak as a player." Shohei Ohtani is now 31 years old, so he may continue to peak for the next four years or so, and continue to perform to the level of an MVP. I'm looking forward to it. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

In the summer of 2010, while on a road trip around the United States, I stopped in Madison County, Iowa, to see Roseman Bridge, the covered bridge made famous by the novel "The Bridges of Madison County " by Robert James Waller. This is an internationally bestselling novel about the love story between a photographer who comes to Madison County to photograph covered bridges and a local married woman. The 1995 film of the same name based on this novel was also a huge hit, starring Clint Eastwood as the photographer So, then. As I entered Madison County, Iowa, and drove toward Roseman Bridge, I passed a place packed with tourists. It was John Wayne's birthplace. Even though it had been more than 30 years since John Wayne's death, he was still incredibly popular. I like John Wayne too, but seeing Roseman Bridge was more important to me than seeing his birthplace, so I just passed it by. When I arrived at Roseman Bridge, I took a lot of photos, feeling like Clint Eastwood in the movie. In the movie, Clint Eastwood uses a Nikon, the kind of camera a professional photographer would use, while I use a small digital camera, but that's a minor difference to me. While I was taking photos, a steady stream of American tourists arrived. It seemed that the popularity of the movie hadn't waned even though it had been 15 years since its release. Roseman Bridge After finishing filming, I returned to my car and stared blankly at a map of Iowa, wondering where I should drive next. Then, I noticed something surprising. Just north of Madison County is Dallas County, and at the southern tip of Dallas County, right on the border with Madison County, is a small city called Van Meter!  I immediately decided to go to Van Meter. Van Meter is the hometown of Bob Feller, one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history. ...In Japan, Bob Feller's nickname is "Fireball Pitcher" because of his incredibly hard fastball. As I headed to Van Meter, I wondered if Bob Feller would be surprised that a bridge in Madison County near his hometown had become famous around the world, and whether Bob Feller had ever seen Roseman Bridge. He probably had, since it was so close. When I arrived at Van Meter, I found a museum honoring Bob Feller. It was not a large building, but it was very beautiful. A giant baseball placed near the entrance was autographed by Bob Feller. The museum honoring Bob Feller  A large baseball signed by Bob Feller near the museum entrance Bob Feller on the museum's exterior wall Entering the building, there was a souvenir display corner right by the entrance, and the person working there as a receptionist was a middle-aged Caucasian woman. When I told her I was an avid Major League Baseball fan from Japan, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my!"  When I asked her how much admission was, she replied, "It's free." I didn't ask if she was offering free admission to me because I had come all the way from Japan, or if it was free for everyone. Exhibits inside the museum Going further inside, I began to look around the exhibits. There were various kinds of items and photographs on display. For example, there were uniforms and baseballs related to Bob Feller, a photo of him at age 17 when he became the youngest regular starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history, photos related to Ted Williams, the only Major Leaguer I ever fell in love with (both Bob Feller and Ted Williams were born in 1918), and footage related to Babe Ruth. But the real highlight was the corner with photos and plaques commemorating his three no-hitter games, one of which was the only no-hitter game in Major League Baseball history to be recorded in an Opening Day game. That Opening Day game was played at Comiskey Park on April 16, 1940, when Bob Feller, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians), took the mound against the Chicago White Sox, and the Cleveland Indians won 1-0. A corner displaying photos of Bob Feller and Ted Williams  A corner displaying Bob Feller's three no-hitter games After looking around all the exhibits, I returned to the souvenir display corner. There, I found not only Bob Feller-related items such as autographed photos of him, but also panel photos, autographed balls and autographed bats of other Major Leaguers. I bought three autographed photos of Bob Feller for $20 each. One for myself, and two for my two Japanese friends, avid Major League Baseball fans. Me standing near the souvenir display I spent about an hour inside the museum, and during that time, not a single other visitor came in. What a difference from Roseman Bridge. As an avid MLB fan, it is shame that a great pitcher in MLB seems no match for a love story, or John Wayne. In December 2010, a few months after my visit to Van Meter, Bob Feller passed away from leukemia at the age of 92. The museum closed in 2014. The building of the museum was donated to the City of Van Meter in 2015, and today, it serves as the City Hall. In the City Hall, some of the museum’s exhibits are still on display. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have established the Roy Campanella Award. Each year, players and coaches vote for one player who, like Roy Campanella, demonstrates leadership and spiritual strength within the team. The award was established in 2006, and this year marks its 20th anniversary. It was announced on September 20th that Miguel Rojas has been selected as the 2025 recipient for the second consecutive year, following last year. Besides Rojas, three other players have been selected twice: Clayton Kershaw, Chase Utley, and Justin Turner. Of these three, only two players have won the award twice in a row, like Rojas: Clayton Kershaw (2013, 2014) and Justin Turner (2019, 2020). Chase Utley won the award in 2016 and 2018. The award named after Roy Campanella might not ring a bell among many Japanese Major League Baseball fans. It's fair to say that Roy Campanella is fairly unknown in Japan today; only the most knowledgeable Major League Baseball fans might even know his name. This isn't the case in the United States, where I believe he's a widely known figure (right?), so I'll give a very brief introduction. Roy Campanella (nickname: Campy) played in the Negro Leagues before signing a minor league contract with the Dodgers in 1946. He made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1947. Roy Campanella went on to have a successful career as a great catcher, winning the RBI title once and being named the season MVP three times. However, a traffic accident before the start of the 1958 season left him paralyzed from the waist down, forcing him to use a wheelchair and eventually retiring. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 71. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was the second African-American to receive this honor, after Jackie Robinson. Furthermore, in 1972, Roy Campanella's uniform number 39 was retired by the Dodgers. It's such a shame that so many Japanese Major League Baseball fans are unaware of such a great player, one whose name will forever go down in history. An incredibly wonderful biography about Roy Campanella by Neil Lanctot (2012, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks) Here, I'd like to write a little bit of my personal experience. In the fall of 1956, when I was nine years old, the Dodgers (then the Brooklyn Dodgers) came to Japan and played 19 games against teams such as the All-Japan team. I looked up the game results and individual stats and found that the Dodgers had 13 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with Roy Campanella, who was part of the visiting team, hitting four home runs. I watched their first game in Japan live at the stadium. It seems Roy Campanella played from start to finish in that game as catcher, but I don't remember a single thing about Roy Campanella's play. I think the reason for this was probably the presence of Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson, who was among the visiting team, was famous in Japan as the first black major leaguer, and he hit a home run in the first game I was watching. So Jackie Robinson made a strong impression on me. What's more, Jackie Robinson retired after returning to the United States from Japan, which made it an even stronger memory for me. It's really pathetic and disappointing that I don't remember anything about Roy Campanella's play, even though I had the opportunity to see him play live. Nowadays, when I hear the name Roy Campanella, I immediately think of the movie actor George Clooney. You're probably wondering why that is, so let me explain why. First of all, it's important to note that I love George Clooney. There are three reasons why I love him so much. 1) Clooney is very cool. 2) Clooney must love baseball, as he even tried out for a Major League Baseball team. 3) Clooney himself has said that he has always felt a sense of affinity with Japan. Well, there's the movie "Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005), directed and written by my favorite Clooney who also starred in it. This film is set in the 1950s, when an extreme anti-communist movement broke out in the United States, threatening democracy and infuriating the people. It's a masterpiece that depicts Ed Murrow (a journalist who worked on the national television network CBS) who boldly fought against this movement. There's a cool and wonderful scene in this film that really impresses me, an avid Major League Baseball fan. It's a scene depicting CBS in October 1953, where one staff member gives instructions to another staff regarding Roy Campanella, who is mentioned in the TV show. ...Using Roy Campanella to convey the atmosphere of 1953 is truly appropriate  and brilliant! That's because in 1953, Roy Campanella had a spectacular season with a .312 batting average, 142 RBIs, and 41 home runs, and was selected as the MVP. His 41 home runs that year was the major league record for home runs by a catcher in a season at the time (now the record for a catcher is 60, set by Cal Raleigh in 2025). DVD of the movie “Good Night, and Good Luck” (Japanese version) George Clooney is truly impressive for writing a script that includes such a cool scene. It just makes me love Clooney even more. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

This year, in 2025, I was both amazed and deeply impressed by what Seattle Mariners catcher and switch-hitter Cal Raleigh accomplished. In 1970, Johnny Bench set the record for most home runs by a catcher in a single season with 45. In 2021, Salvador Pérez, who surpassed Bench's record, had 48 home runs. Cal Raleigh has now achieved the incredible feat of breaking that record with 60 home runs. His 60 home runs also surpassed Ken Griffey Jr.'s previous record of 56 in 1997 and 1998, which was the most home runs by a Seattle Mariners player at any defensive position in history. My sister wearing a T-shirt purchased through Amazon. However, what surprised and impressed me the most was that Cal Raleigh broke Mickey Mantle's record for most home runs in a single year by a switch hitter, 54, set in 1961. I never thought a switch hitter would emerge who could break the record set by Mickey Mantle, the greatest switch hitter of all time. A wonderful biography of Mickey Mantle by Jane Leavy (2011, Harper Perennial)  What Cal Raleigh achieved this year, in 2025, is so amazing that it is hard to praise him highly enough!  I would like to give him a heartfelt round of applause. Having said that, I would like to add something about Cal Raleigh. I think he has a "strange" characteristic. In the history of Major League Baseball, seven players have hit 60 or more home runs in a season, a total of 10 times, including Cal Raleigh in 2025. Of those 10 times, five times had a respectable batting average of over .300. Of the remaining five times, the worst was Cal Raleigh’s .247 in 2025. This ranked 44th out of 65 qualified players in the American League (AL) in 2025. Qualified players are players who have reached the required number of plate appearances to compete for batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and other percentages. Of the 10 times mentioned above, the next worst batting average after Cal Raleigh was .269 by Roger Maris, who hit 61 home runs in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 for the first time. This .269 ranked 28th out of 49 qualified players in the AL in 1961. Furthermore, of these 10 times, Cal Raleigh in 2025 had the lowest on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS, and also had the most strikeouts. Some people may find this surprising, but there are other surprising things about Cal Raleigh. Before I write about that, there is something important I want to say about the seven players who hit 60 or more home runs in a year. Of these seven, Roger Maris and Cal Raleigh are the only ones who never hit 40 or more home runs in a season before the year in which they hit 60 or more home runs. And Roger Maris is the only one who never hit 40 or more home runs in a season after hitting 60 or more home runs....Mark McGwire had not a year with 40 or more home runs since hitting 63 home runs in 1999, but he did hit 70 home runs in 1998, making him two consecutive years with more than 60 home runs, so that's not the case for Roger Maris. This means that Cal Raleigh, whose batting average in 2025 was lower than Roger Maris' batting average in 1961, may be worried about whether he'll be able to hit 40 or more home runs next year and beyond. And now, other surprising things about Cal Raleigh. In the history of Major League Baseball, 34 players have hit 50 or more home runs in a season, a total of 53 times, including Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Shohei Ohtani in 2025. Of these 53 times, the lowest batting average is .240, owned by Kyle Schwarber, who hit 56 home runs in 2025, followed by Cal Raleigh's .247 in 2025. This means that even among players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a year, Cal Raleigh's batting average is not the lowest, but it is still exceptionally low. Furthermore, of these 53 times, the lowest on-base percentage was Andruw Jones in 2005 (51 home runs, .347 on-base percentage), the next lowest was Pete Alonzo in 2019 (53 home runs, .358 on-base percentage), and the third lowest was Cal Raleigh in 2025 (60 home runs, .359 on-base percentage). Without going into details, out of these 53 times, Cal Raleigh’s slugging percentage and OPS in 2025 were both 50th, he had the third most strikeouts, and his SO/AB (strikeouts divided by at-bats, indicating how many at-bats a batter strikes out at once. The lower this value, the more likely a batter is to strike out) was third lowest. As you can probably tell by now, among players who have hit 50 or more home runs, Cal Raleigh stands out as a player whose stats other than home runs are not good. Furthermore, let's consider Cal Raleigh from the perspective of new stats that are currently popular among Major League Baseball aficionados in the United States. It's safe to say that Cal Raleigh’s batting average has been gradually improving, albeit only slightly. To give you some specific numbers, in 2023, the year he became a qualified player for the first time, it was .232 (53rd out of 58 qualified players in the AL), and in 2024 it was .220 (53rd out of 57 qualified players in the AL). In 2025, it was .247 (44th out of 65 qualified players in the AL). However, things change completely when we look at BABIP. Here, for those who are unfamiliar with the new Major League Baseball stats, let me briefly explain what BABIP is. If a batter hits a home run, his batting average naturally increases, and if he strikes out, his batting average naturally decreases. Simply put, BABIP is the batting average calculated excluding home runs and strikeouts. In other words, it shows the batting performance when not hitting home runs or striking out. Even though Cal Raleigh’s batting average for all at-bats, including home runs and strikeouts, has gradually improved, his BABIP has gradually worsened. In 2023 it was .273 (52nd out of 58 qualified players in the AL), in 2024 it was .251 (52nd out of 57 qualified players in the AL), and in 2025 it was .248 (65th out of 65 qualified players in the AL, lowest ranking). Next, let's look at Exit Velocity (EV). This is the speed of the batted ball. Cal Raleigh’s average EV in 2025 was 91.3 MPH, ranking 46th in the major leagues in 2025, and his EV50 (the average speed of the hardest 50% of his batted balls) was 103.0 MPH, ranking 35th in the major leagues. Both are strangely low for Cal Raleigh, who has hit the most home runs in the major leagues in 2025. However, the picture changes dramatically when we look at Barrel/BBE% and Barrel/PA%. Barrel refers to the zone where the combination of batted ball’s speed and angle makes it more likely to result in a long hit, such as a home run. BBE (Batted Ball Event) represents any batted ball that produced some kind of result. This includes outs, hits including home runs, and errors. It does not include foul balls that did not result in out. PA is an abbreviation for plate appearance. Barrel/BBE% is the percentage of the batted balls that resulted in a barrel among BBE. Cal Raleigh‘s Barrel/BBE% in 2025 was 19.5, ranking 4th in the major leagues and second in the AL. Cal Raleigh’s Barrel/PA% in 2025 was 11.3, sixth in the major leagues and second in the AL. Both are pretty good. Here are the new stats rankings for the three players other than Cal Raleigh who hit 50 or more home runs in 2025, so you can see the similarities and differences that are interesting between Cal Raleigh and them. First, Aaron Judge. His BABIP was tops in the AL, his average EV and EV50 were both second in the major leagues. His Barrel/BBE% and Barrel/PA% were both tops in the major leagues. A concise but well-written biography of Aaron Judge by Clayton Geoffreys (2020) Kyle Schwarber's BABIP was 72nd out of 73 qualified players in the National League (NL), his average EV and EV50 were both fifth in the major leagues, his Barrel/BBE% was third in the major leagues and second in the NL, and his Barrel/PA% was fourth in the major leagues and third in the NL. Shohei Ohtani's BABIP was 17th in the NL, his EV was third in the major leagues, his EV50 was fourth in the major leagues, and his Barrel/BBE% and Barrel/PA% were both second in the major leagues and first in the NL. The cover of a unique and interesting book that teaches English through the achievements of Shohei Ohtani (2024, Author: Masaki Tachikawa, Publisher: Asukashinsha Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) From everything I've written so far, you can see Cal Raleigh’s “strange” characteristic as a batter. That characteristic is that his batting performance is not particularly impressive except when he hits home runs. You could even say that he is a rare batter who hits a lot of home runs despite having mediocre batting statistics. And even among batters who hit a lot of home runs, this characteristic of Cal Raleigh stands out. Cal Raleigh is such a “strange” hitter, but he is also a great hitter who set an incredible home run record in 2025. I'm interested to see how many home runs Cal Raleigh will hit from 2026 onwards. In writing this column, I used data from MLB.com and https://baseballsavant.mlb.com . I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to both. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

During the summer of 2010, I took a road trip across the United States. On that trip, I visited a place I had always wanted to see: the town of Commerce, located in northeastern Oklahoma. Baseball fans will immediately recognize this name. Yes, it's famous as the hometown of Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and 60s and is considered the greatest switch-hitter in Major League Baseball history. His 536 career home runs rank 18th all-time in MLB, but first among switch-hitters. It's unlikely that any other switch-hitter will ever surpass this record. In 1956, he won the Triple Crown. Mickey Mantle is the only switch-hitter in MLB history to win the Triple Crown. Furthermore, his 52 home runs that year are the most ever for a Triple Crown winner (he is the only player to reach 50 home runs while winning the Triple Crown). In 1961, Mickey Mantle's 54 home runs were the most ever for a switch-hitter in a single season, a record that stood for 64 years until Cal Raleigh broke it in 2025 with 60. Incidentally, Mickey Mantle was on the Yankees team that visited Japan in 1955.  I was 8 years old and saw him play live at the stadium. I still remember being amazed and impressed by his power. A street named after Mickey Mantle Anyway, I drove along the roads of Oklahoma, surrounded by flat land. I arrived in Commerce in the evening. I ​​was exhausted and just wanted to relax, so I checked into a motel immediately. The next morning, I started by taking a leisurely drive around Commerce to get a general idea of ​​what the town was like. I had assumed Mickey Mantle's hometown would be a small town, but I was surprised to find it quite large. You really can't know the truth until you actually visit a place. Just as I was about to start exploring more thoroughly, I noticed something. The main street (or rather, what seemed to be the main street, since I wasn't entirely sure which one it was) was named "Mickey Mantle." I wanted to take a photo of the road name "Mickey Mantle." Since the street name was clearly marked at the intersection, I figured standing in the middle of the intersection would be the best way to take the picture. So, I made up my mind. I was ready to risk my life, even if a car might come and end it all. ...That's a complete lie. There were so few cars on the road that taking the picture was incredibly easy and effortless. Now, the real sightseeing began. First, I wanted to see the house where Mickey Mantle spent his childhood. It should be well preserved. But I didn't know where it was. In such cases, it's best to ask a police officer in a patrol car. However, I couldn't find a patrol car. So, I decided to ask at a gas station. When I introduced myself to the white woman working at the gas station, she looked surprised and asked, "You came all the way from Japan just to see Mickey Mantle's house?" She even drew a very clear map for me. While driving slowly along the map, I noticed something. There was a small baseball field by the side of the road, and I thought I saw the word "Mantle" on a shed next to it. Maybe it was a baseball field named after Mickey Mantle. I had to check it out. I immediately stopped the car. It was a Little League baseball field. Built in 1955, the baseball field was renamed "Mutt Mantle Field" in 1994 to commemorate Mickey Mantle's father (known as Mutt). I was a little surprised to find out that the baseball field was named after Mickey Mantle's father, not Mickey Mantle himself. But that surprise quickly faded. I remembered the famous story about the Mantle family. Mutt, a coal miner, would come home from work every day and diligently teach his son Mickey baseball until it got dark. …I think it's wonderful that a Little League baseball field is named after a father like that. Mutt Mantle Field I drove again, heading towards the house where Mickey Mantle spent his childhood. While driving, I noticed something. It wasn't a neat, suburban neighborhood with rows of middle-class American homes, but rather a somewhat gloomy-looking area. The roads were narrow and the pavement was rough The house was located a little further back from the road. A small, one-story wooden house. The house where Mantle lived with his parents and four siblings for ten years, from age three to thirteen. The door was locked, and I couldn't go inside. But I could see inside through the windows as I walked around the house. All the rooms I could see were small. The house where Mickey Mantle spent his childhood A plaque was attached to the locked door. It described a story that every baseball fan knows. ...When Mickey was five or six years old, his father Mutt would come home from work and have Mickey practice batting in the backyard every day, until it got dark. Sometimes his grandfather would join in the practice. His father threw the ball to Mickey with his right hand, while his grandfather threw it with his left hand (this would later lead to the creation of the greatest switch-hitter in MLB history). His father's dream was to make Mickey a top-class baseball player. That dream came true, and Mickey Mantle, “The Oklahoma Comet," played brilliantly for the Yankees and became a great American icon. Next, I visited "Mickey Mantle Field," named in Mickey Mantle's honor. Mickey Mantle Field It was well-maintained, with a neat fence surrounding the field and the grass and dirt in good condition. When I visited, there was no game, and no one was around. I took some photos, walking around the stadium to capture it from different angles. Then, behind the backstop, I made an unexpected discovery: a statue of Mickey Mantle. I had no idea it existed! ...It's always important to look behind things. A statue of Mickey Mantle When I saw the statue, I thought, "Is this really all they could do for a statue of Mickey Mantle?" Mickey Mantle was the greatest switch-hitter in MLB history, yet the statue only showed him batting right-handed. "If I could pose next to the statue batting left-handed, that would be perfect," I thought. "And if someone could take a picture, that would be even better!" I spotted an older white man walking nearby and asked him to take a picture. I posed next to the statue, and he took a picture with my digital camera. The man took a photo with my digital camera. I immediately looked at the photo and saw that it was backlit and the statue and I looked too small. But I couldn't complain since someone else took the photo for me. Me, practicing batting as a left-handed hitter, standing next to the Mickey Mantle statue. When I look at this photo now, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. It shows me swinging a bat next to Mickey Mantle, the man I was so moved to see at the baseball stadium when I was eight years old. It's a wonderful, memorable photo for me. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)

One hundred years ago, in 1925, a remarkable event took place in Major League Baseball. This year, 2025, marks the 100th anniversary of that event, yet it's not even mentioned in Japan. What about in the United States? That remarkable event was Rogers Hornsby winning the Triple Crown. This was Hornsby's second Triple Crown. He was the first player in Major League Baseball history to win the Triple Crown twice (later Ted Williams was the only player to do so twice). Furthermore, his batting average that year was over .400, making him the last Triple Crown winner to do so. Furthermore, his Triple Crown win that year was the only one in Major League Baseball history to do so while also serving as a manager. A great biography of Rogers Hornsby by Charles C. Alexander (1995, Henry Holt and Company, Inc.). This biography makes no mention of F. Scott Fitzgerald or "The Great Gatsby"  (apologies if I missed any). I've been an avid Major League Baseball fan since I was eight years old, but since high school I've also developed a strong interest in American literature. For me, 1925, 100 years ago, marks the publication of a masterpiece novel that will remain in the history of American literature: F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." The Japanese translation of “The Great Gatsby” by Haruki Murakami. Haruki Murakami, a world-famous novelist, has also translated numerous American literary works into Japanese. His translation of “The Great Gatsby” has led many young people in Japan to read it. Whenever I visit the United States, I always make it a point to spend an entire day in a large bookstore. This is because I want to keep up with the latest American publishing trends in all genres. About 10 years ago, I spent an entire day in one large bookstore. The walls and pillars of the store were adorned with large posters of famous authors' masterpieces. Among them, there were three authors who had two of their works on display: Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men," and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and "This Side of Paradise." Of these, only "The Great Gatsby" was on display in two places. Although this was merely an experience in one bookstore, I was impressed by the special treatment that "The Great Gatsby" received as a masterpiece in the United States. Two men from completely different fields accomplished great things that will go down in history 100 years ago, and these two, Rogers Hornsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald, were both born in 1896. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some great novels, but he is said to have lived a flamboyant lifestyle, become addicted to alcohol, and even started writing screenplays to make money...Some say he only had one film credit. However, he seemed to have recognized the importance of baseball in American culture and seems to have been a baseball fan. Therefore, F. Scott Fitzgerald would have known that Rogers Hornsby had won the Triple Crown for the second time in 1925, the year he published “The Great Gatsby”, and he likely acknowledged that Rogers Hornsby was a great baseball player. On the other hand, Rogers Hornsby is said to have never drunk alcohol, and also to have never read books or watched movies because he thought it was bad for his eyes. So, I think he had no interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels and film. “The Great Gatsby” is undoubtedly a masterpiece that will be read by many, but I don't think every literary fan will be moved by it. Some may dislike its overflowing sentimentality. But I'm sure every Major League Baseball fan will be moved and continue to talk about Rogers Hornsby's records: he won the Triple Crown twice, led the batting average seven times, batted in the .400 range three times, and had the highest career batting average of .358 for a right-handed hitter... Rogers Hornsby is said to be the greatest right-handed hitter in Major League history, and I agree. ( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)