No one would've blamed Domingo Martinez if he never returned to Japan after the 1998 baseball season. After hitting .283 and smacking 30 home runs for the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions that year, the designated hitter wasn't given a gold watch or even a thank-you note for his efforts. Instead he was cut loose faster than you can say "Sayonara, big guy."
No one would've blamed Martinez, except for one person: himself.
That's what the Yomiuri Giants suspected during the middle of the 1999 season. In need of some pop at the plate, they took a chance by turning to Martinez. The only uncertainty was whether the slugger could stomach another tour of Japan.