Since Hideo Nomo broke open the door for Japanese stars to move abroad, not a single infielder has been among the 12 players to make a big league all-star team — although that may change in the future with the removal of one more obstacle in their path.

Moving to the majors requires Japanese players to make a mountain of adjustments. Everyone has to deal with the harder travel necessitated by playing a longer schedule in a shorter amount of time over four different time zones.

Pitchers have to contend with a different ball and batters who will look to put every mistake in the seats, with the starters working every fifth day instead of every seventh. Hitters, who are already into the prime of their careers by the time they sign abroad, have the unenviable task of suddenly adjusting to faster and — due to the ball — livelier fastballs than they have ever seen.