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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Sep 5, 2010

Masumi Kuwata: Pitching for change

Masumi Kuwata has spent most of his life in the spotlight of stardom and publicity.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 12, 2022

It's Shotime!: Shohei Ohtani and the future of baseball

Sports writer Jason Coskrey and editor Dave Cortez join new Deep Dive host Jason Jenkins to discuss baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and the future of the sport he has committed his life to mastering.
Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent announces the end of the MLB lockout on March 19, 1990.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 3, 2025

Fay Vincent, who tangled with owners as MLB Commissioner, dies at 86

Vincent served as commissioner just shy of three years after replacing A. Bartlett Giamatti, who held the office only five months before dying of a heart attack on Sept. 1, 1989.
Shohei Ohtani tips his batting helmet during the opening game of the MLB season between the Dodgers and Cubs on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 19, 2025

At Tokyo Dome, a stage so big that even Shohei Ohtani felt nervous

Even the game's preeminent superstar admitted to feeling nervous as the MLB season kicked off with what amounted to a celebration of Japan and its place in the sport.
Giants fans cheer during an exhibition game against the Dodgers at Tokyo Dome on March 15.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Apr 14, 2025

NPB can learn from MLB amid backlash to its new social media policy

Arguing that the rights of NPB and its broadcasters are in peril because fans upload short videos from games is a hard sell.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 4, 2023

Bobby Valentine enjoying more relaxed time with Angels

Former Marines manager Bobby Valentine is viewing the game from a different perspective these days.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 1, 2024

Shohei Ohtani reveals few details after surprise marriage announcement

The superstar, who fiercely guards details about his personal life, said the announcement's timing was to avoid any potential distractions going forward.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 21, 2024

Ohtani’s longtime interpreter fired amid illegal gambling allegations

ESPN reported that at least $4.5 million in wire transfers were sent to a bookmaking operation, which is under federal investigation.
Ippei Mizuhara, seen during Shohei Ohtani's introductory news conference with the Dodgers in December 2023, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 9, 2024

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter to plead guilty to bank fraud

Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, leaves federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2024

Ohtani interpreter appears in court over $17 million fraud

A lawyer for Ippei Mizuhara said the 39-year-old has reached a deal with prosecutors over his charges.
Imanaga pumps his fist after closing out the seventh inning against the Cardinals on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 16, 2024

Shota Imanaga is becoming a star for the Cubs. How did MLB not see this coming?

Shota Imanaga, who is an early candidate for the Cy Young Award, has quickly established himself as a dynamic presence who pitches with passion and style.
A tribute to Willie Mays behind home plate at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 21, 2024

In Alabama, Willie Mays is the star of the show, one more time

Willie Mays' death added poignancy to MLB’s celebration of the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field — the nation’s oldest professional ballpark.
Shohei Ohtani will play in the World Series for the first time when the Dodgers face the Yankees in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 24, 2024

Dodgers and Yankees set for blockbuster showdown in World Series

There will be plenty of star power on the field when the Dodgers host the Yankees in Game 1 on Friday.
Japan's players watch from the dugout after their loss against Taiwan in the Premier12 final at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Sac Bunts
Nov 25, 2024

Japan exits Premier12 with no need to panic but with adjustments to make

Japan lost in an international tournament for the first time since the 2019 Premier12.
Tigers players toss manager Yoshio Yoshida into the air after the club clinched its first Japan Series title, on Nov. 11, 1985.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 5, 2025

Hanshin Tigers legend Yoshio Yoshida dies at 91

During his 17-year playing career, Yoshida appeared in 2,007 games and recorded 1,864 hits. But he was perhaps most notable for leading the Tigers to the 1985 Japan Series.
Former Reds great Pete Rose speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of his bronze statue at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 17, 2017.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 2, 2025

MLB's Rob Manfred reviewing petition to reinstate Pete Rose

The report comes one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would pardon Rose.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts (left) and Shohei Ohtani pose with their Silver Slugger awards before a game against the Cardinals on March, 29, 2024.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 11, 2025

Is Mookie Betts or Shohei Ohtani the better athlete? Dodgers teammates weigh in

The beauty of the question is that even as baseball players, Ohtani and Betts are so different.
The Materials Provided by Mizuno Baseball Bat Tableware set is made from a recycled, discarded baseball bat and includes two large tumblers, a vase, a small cup, four cutlery rests and a sake cup.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 30, 2023

Game-changing designs from sporting goods brands

On: Design looks at two major Japanese sporting goods companies that have launched unique SDG-inspired projects.
Shohei Ohtani is joining a franchise that has long been a trailblazer in an increasingly diverse and global game.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

In a land of stars, Los Angeles can’t stop talking about Ohtani

Dodgers fans were still beside themselves days after Ohtani agreed to the most lucrative contract in sports history.
Baseball player Shohei Ohtani poses with his Japanese interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara (right), and his agent, Nez Balelo, during a news conference after signing a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2024

Shohei Ohtani scandal raises the stakes on sports betting

The speed at which U.S. sports leagues have embraced betting put the Japanese star's fastball to shame.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and his then-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, attend a news conference at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 16, ahead of the 2024 MLB Seoul Series baseball game between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 23, 2024

MLB launches investigation into scandal involving Ohtani and ex-interpreter

MLB is expected to request interviews with all parties, including Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara, the slugger's longtime interpreter and close friend.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
BASEBALL
Apr 12, 2024

How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account

Crucially for Ohtani, a U.S. investigation clearly paints him as a victim without any involvement in or knowledge of his interpreter's gambling woes.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, outside a U.S. federal court in Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 5, 2024

Ohtani's ex-interpreter pleads guilty to stealing nearly $17 million

Ippei Mizuhara admitted to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence, and one count of filing a false tax return.
Former Reds great Pete Rose speaks during a pregame ceremony for the unveiling of his bronze statue at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in June 2017.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 1, 2024

MLB Hit King Pete Rose dies at 83

Rose helped the Reds win consecutive World Series in 1975 and 1976 before winning a third title with the Phillies in 1980.
Roki Sasaki in action for Japan against the Czech Republic in the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo in March 2023
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 12, 2024

Roki Sasaki and MLB: How effective would his pitching arsenal be?

Every team should be interested in Sasaki, who has been putting up some huge numbers in Japan.
Fans display extra editions of a newspaper featuring Shohei Ohtani on Friday after the Dodgers slugger was named National League.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 22, 2024

Japanese fans rejoice after Ohtani's MVP win

Japanese baseball fans rushed to grab the latest newspaper editions on Friday after Ohtani was named the National League's Most Valuable Player.
Then-Canadian Industry Minister Allan Rock (left) talks with bat-maker Sam Holman at the Original Maple Bat manufacturing plant in Ottawa in October 2002. By the early 2000s, Holman had clients with nearly every major league baseball team.
BASEBALL
Apr 22, 2025

He revolutionized bats not with a new shape but a new kind of wood

Sam Holman made use of the fact that maple has a tight grain structure and is a harder wood than ash, giving it the potential to be more durable.
Former catcher Jonathan Lucroy (left) said getting used to a new pitching staff after a trade was like "speed dating."
BASEBALL
Jul 31, 2023

Building new relationships makes trade deadline complex for catchers

The weeks leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline are always tense. Every team has to evaluate where they are in the standings, what the organization’s long-term outlook is and how much could be changed by acquiring a few veterans.
Texas Rangers players storm the field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the World Series in Game 5 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
BASEBALL
Nov 2, 2023

Rangers down Diamondbacks in Game 5 for first World Series title

A 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 on Wednesday clinched the Rangers' first title in three trips to the Fall Classic.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year

From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.