There wasn't much time for Nate Schierholtz to really prepare himself for Japanese baseball. He'd opted out of his deal with the Texas Rangers on March 28. By April 19, he was already on the other side of the world in a red No. 57 jersey and hitting third for the Hiroshima Carp.
“It happened really quick,” Schierholtz told The Japan Times before an interleague game last week at Seibu Prince Dome. “From leaving the Rangers, to talking to Scott McClain, who helped me get over here, it was only a couple of days. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk to a lot of guys (about Japan). I talked to Casey McGehee and a few other guys who had been over here, and kind of knew there was going to be a little more off-speed thrown here. You can’t really expect any pitch in any count.
"That was kind of the main thing guys talked about. I took that in and just figured the best thing for me is just repetition, getting out here and seeing the pitches. That's really all you can do. I guess going through spring training probably helps getting adjusted a little bit better, but I'm here and I'm having a good time."