For Jim Allen's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A day after Yu Darvish pitched his final game of the year for the Chicago Cubs, his first pro manager on Saturday called it the right-hander's best performance in the majors. Darvish allowed two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out six ...
Many Latin players have been locked into team-friendly NPB contracts that weren't fully explained to them.
SoftBank's Oscar Colas wants to change the terms of his deal in order to pursue a career in MLB.
The 61-year-old, who led NPB in home runs in 1988, is enjoying his new role in charge of the Wei Chuan Dragons, who will join Taiwan's pro circuit next year.
Jerry Sands may be a longshot bet to have success with the Hanshin Tigers this season, but Korean pro baseball's 2019 RBI leader has a history of bucking long odds. Sands turned pro after being selected in the 25th round of Major League Baseball's 2008 ...
For years, former major league pitcher Satoru Komiyama's measure of success was wins on the ballfield, now as manager of Waseda University's baseball team, he wants his yardstick to be the quality of character his players achieve. "We prepare these players so they can go ...
The lively atmosphere Alcides Escobar expected for his Tokyo Dome return was silenced by Japan's efforts to counter the spread of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19. In November 2014, the longtime defensive wiz with the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals got a taste ...
When records are set in baseball, they so often occur at the confluence of favorable circumstances, the right player in the right place at the right time. Pitcher Carter Stewart may not have set any records last year, but by signing with the Fukuoka SoftBank ...
When Carter Stewart and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks agreed to a six-year, $6 million contract in 2019, it made news as the historic first such deal between an elite American amateur and an NPB team. Their deal began an experiment, which, if successful, could spark ...
While some are looking for big rewards from the swell of interest to come from the Tokyo Paralympics, Toshiro Ueda is convinced a brighter future for people with disabilities — and society as a whole — is built through the acts of one individual ...
