Among the fans of the Yokohama BayStars are many foreigners. They include American military personnel stationed at the Negishi Housing Area in Yokohama and Yokosuka Naval Base and civilians living in Kanagawa and surrounding prefectures. From what I am hearing, they are not happy with their team's style of play this year and, looking at the 'Stars' current last-place position in the Central League standings, their disappointment is understandable.

"How can they take a 'Machine Gun' offense and start laying down bunts?" asked one disgruntled rooter, referring to manager Masaaki Mori's strategy of sacrificing when Yokohama hitters used to get the job done with a rat-a-tat-tat, hit-after-hit attack.

Said another follower, "I can't believe Tatsuhiko Kinjo, last year's leading hitter in the league, is bunting. He is not good at it, I don't think he likes doing it, and it just does not fit in with the BayStars' offense. When I go to Yokohama Stadium and buy a ticket, I pay to see home runs, not bunts. Bring back Bobby Rose!"

After watching the 'Stars drop a three-game series to the Yomiuri Giants this past weekend, you might say they have a point. There is something wrong. Yokohama, through May 19, was actually leading the Central League in batting with a composite team average of .265, but the club's runs scored total of 148 was second-to-last in the CL. Worse is the pitiful home run total of just 19 in 39 games. Consider that one guy -- Alex Cabrera of the Seibu Lions in the Pacific League -- has hit 24 all by himself. Moreover, the Giants' league-leading total of 64 is more than 31/2 times the Yokohama output, and Yomiuri batters have hit 24 of those 64 blasts off BayStars pitching alone.

I don't know what I can say to comfort Port City supporters who still have that fantastic 1998 Japan Series victory season in their memories. I don't like bunting either, and Rose apparently is not coming back, but the club does have a couple of great guys in infielders Jon Zuber and Dave Doster who, while not sluggers, would do a good job of hitting if given the chance to play every day.

However, Zuber was dropped to the Shonan Searex farm team on Saturday, and Doster is in and out of the lineup. A new imported player, outfielder Anthony Sanders, is expected to join the team this week and supply some power, at least so the BayStars can pass Cabrera in the homer count.

In the meantime, Yokohama fans, hang in there. It has to get better.

Speaking of Cabrera, the Seibu cleanup man has hit those 24 home runs and has 63 RBIs through May 21. The Lions played 45 games as of that date and, if he were to maintain his current pace for the full season, awesome Alex would hit 71 HRs and drive in 190 over the 140-game schedule. While it is doubtful he can reach those figures, he obviously has a chance to break some single-season records, such as:

-- The Lions' foreign player homer mark of 42, set in 1990 by Orestes Destrade.

-- The Lions' team homer mark of 43, set in 1987 by Koji Akiyama.

-- The Pacific League foreign player HR total of 49, set in 1989 by Ralph Bryant of the Kintetsu Buffaloes.

-- The Pacific League home run total of 52, set in 1963 by Katsuya Nomura of the Nankai Hawks and tied in 1986 by Hiromitsu Ochiai of the Lotte Orions.

-- The Japan foreign player HR record of 54, set in 1985 by Randy Bass of the Hanshin Tigers.

-- The Japan HR record of 55, set in 1964 by Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants.

-- The major league HR record of 70, set in 1998 by Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals.

-- The Seibu team RBI mark of 106 (Destrade, 1990).

-- The PL foreign player RBI total (134, Boomer Wells, Hankyu Braves, 1984).

-- The PL RBI total (146, Ochiai, Lotte Orions, 1985).

-- The Japan foreign player RBI record (153, Bobby Rose, Yokohama BayStars, 1999).

-- The Japan RBI record (161, Makoto Kozuru, Shochiku Robins, 1950).

-- The major league RBI record (191, Hack Wilson, Chicago Cubs, 1930).

Former Yomiuri ace pitcher Tsuneo Horiuchi threw the shikyushiki ceremonial first pitch at last Friday night's Giants-BayStars game at the Tokyo Dome. The ball he tossed is on a world tour and will be used to open the 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Safeco Field in Seattle on July 10. Michael Luscher of MLB International brought the ball to Tokyo after it had been thrown at games in Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and Taiwan.

Next stop for the traveling ball will be Sydney on May 30, and it will also be delivered in Germany, England, Czechoslovakia, Holland, South Africa and Canada before reaching the Mariners' home stadium. Its final destination will be the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Horiuchi threw the Tokyo Dome pitch "American style," that is, without a batter in the box, but he bounced it on one hop to Giants catcher Shinichi Murata. Explaining why he did not reach the catcher, Horiuchi jokingly said, "I thought it would be good if the ball had some Tokyo Dome dirt on it when it gets to Seattle."

The 203-game winner (1966-83), currently an analyst on Giants telecasts for NTV, will also be in Seattle for the MLB star clash.