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May 22, 2024
 

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Wayne Graczyk
Wayne Graczyk has written the "Baseball Bullet-In" column in The Japan Times since 1976. A native of New Jersey, he came to Japan in 1969 with the U.S. Air Force and is a 1977 graduate of Tokyo's Sophia University. Wayne was the long-time (1977-2004) sports editor of the Tokyo Weekender newspaper, he covers Yomiuri Giants baseball games for Nippon TV and, since 1976, he has compiled the Japan Pro Baseball Fan Handbook & Media Guide. He is a member of the Tokyo Sportswriters Club and the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan. Notice Wayne Graczyk, the baseball columnist for The Japan Times for the past 40 years, passed away at the age of 68 on April 19. His final column was posted on April 8. Readers can continue to access his coverage of Japanese baseball through the online archives.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 16, 2011
Murton, Chono going down to wire for CL batting title
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks outfielder Seiichi Uchikawa has pretty much wrapped up the 2011 Pacific League batting title. With just a few games remaining, Uchikawa was batting .341 as of Thursday and had a 22 percentage point lead over his nearest competitor, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Yoshio...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 9, 2011
NPB's scheduling practices defy logic, eliminate potential late-season drama
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Japanese baseball needs to fix its season-ending schedule and follow the major league policy of having every team finish the regular year at the same time.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 2, 2011
Arrival of October recalls great moments in game's history
Some of the greatest moments in baseball history, in Japan and the major leagues, have taken place during the month of October.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 25, 2011
'Bachi' makes life easier for foreign players on Giants
Who is that foreigner sitting in the Yomiuri Giants dugout talking to the foreign players?
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 18, 2011
Carp's Sarfate keeps focus on game, not records
In 2010, it was Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton who broke the Japanese baseball record for most hits in a season when he banged out 214 safeties in his first year playing in the country.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 11, 2011
Lions' Nakamura bucking trend in season of reduced numbers
It is no secret 2011 is the year of the pitcher in Japanese baseball. Batting averages, home runs and RBI totals are down, and the Hanshin Tigers fans especially must be getting tired of looking at the scoreboard in the seventh or eighth inning of their team's games and seeing a 1-0 or 1-1 score.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 4, 2011
Posturing won't keep Japan from defending WBC title
One of the stories in baseball news recently involves the participation — or non-participation — by a Japan representative team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 28, 2011
Speculation swirling as MLB scouts swoop in to watch Darvish
Because of the late start of the 2011 Japan pro baseball season following the events of March 11, we still have almost two months remaining in the schedule. Final regular season games will be played as late as Oct. 16, and there will no doubt be make-up games added in the Central and Pacific Leagues...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 21, 2011
Veteran umpire Hirako remembered fondly after passing
Japanese sports papers and various Web sites on Aug. 17 reported the death of former Central League umpire Kiyoshi Hirako.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 14, 2011
Well-traveled Stairs enjoyed lengthy career after season in Japan
For many American players, Japan is the last stop in their professional baseball careers.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 7, 2011
NPB, MLB clubs make moves to prepare for stretch run
Now that the July 31 deadline has passed for Japanese teams to sign new foreign players this season, here is a review of players acquired since the beginning of the year by Central and Pacific League clubs in an effort to bolster their rosters for the run toward the Climax Series.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 24, 2011
Swallows flying high with Ogawa at helm
Here we are at the All-Star break in Japan's patchwork baseball season, and enough cannot be said about the job done by Junji Ogawa, manager of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. In his first full season at the helm, Ogawa has had his team in first place since April, and it has been mentioned the teams at the...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 17, 2011
Four former ballplayers remembered after their deaths
More than 900 foreigners have played in Japanese pro baseball since Wally Yonamine joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1951, and it is always sad to hear when any of them have died. Baseball America and various Internet outlets have reported the recent deaths of four ex-major leaguers who also played in Japan...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 10, 2011
Pro baseball hopes to inspire Fukushima in return
On July 29, the Yakult Swallows will be playing the Yomiuri Giants at Azuma Stadium in Fukushima City, the closest a Japan pro baseball game will be played this season to the restricted zone around the crippled Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant No. 1. Yakult will be the home team for the encounter that...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 3, 2011
Results mixed over years on midseason additions
The interleague season is finished, the All-Star ballots have been tallied and Japan's blazing summer heat has begun to take hold.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 26, 2011
Potential MLB realignment presents challenges
You have no doubt heard about the proposal for realignment in Major League Baseball. According to media reports, the MLB wants to switch one National League team to the American League in order to make two 15-team leagues and end the current unbalanced setup of 16 NL teams and 14 in the AL, as early...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 19, 2011
Seibu Dome still a nice place to take in a game
Been out to a game at Seibu Dome recently?
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 12, 2011
Ireton, Guam schools, MLB Japan team up to help rebuild baseball in Tohoku
Earthquake and tsunami disaster relief efforts continue in the Tohoku region, and two schools in the area whose buildings and playing grounds were washed away have been able to re-establish their baseball and other sports programs thanks to the generosity of friends in Guam and Tokyo and also Major League...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 5, 2011
Hurler Houlton helping Hawks fly high this season
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks have the best record in Japanese baseball through Friday, and one big contributor to the team's overwhelming success this season is American pitcher D.J. Houlton.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 22, 2011
Recalling fond memories of Killebrew
It is always sad to hear about the death of a ballplayer who, as a youth, you admired.
Why half of Japan's cities are at risk of disappearing in 100 years
A couple looks out onto the Fukuoka nightscape. Due to its distance from Tokyo and its close proximity to South Korea and China, professor Tomoya Mori believes that Fukuoka is one of the few metropolitan regions of Japan that will see some form of growth in the decades to come.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Japan's revised immigration bill clears Lower House
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

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