A brief news article on Page 1 of the Dec. 12 edition of The Japan Times reminded me of former Yakult Swallows and Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kevin Hodges. "Wendy's pulling out of Japan by end of month," read the headline above the story about the U.S. hamburger chain ending its operations in this country.

Baseball players often have superstitions about what they do or eat prior to a game. Former Chunichi Dragons slugger Tyrone Woods always had to have a bowl of ramen noodles an hour before game time.

Tom Mastny, a right-hander with the Yokohama BayStars in 2009, said he always shaved before taking the mound on days when he was the starting pitcher.

Remember Shane Bowers, another Yokohama righty who pitched for the BayStars in 2001-02?

He had to have a package of cheese and crackers before his games, and his wife used to stock up on the snack at the international supermarket in their neighborhood because he never knew if he could find them on road trips, especially in the smaller Japanese countryside towns.

Hodges' good luck food was a Wendy's chicken sandwich, something he could get just about anywhere he pitched in North America, in any major or minor league city.

He told me after joining the Swallows in 2001 he had been worried about signing with a team in Japan, because he thought there might not be any Wendy's franchises where he could get his favorite chicken burger.

When he got to Tokyo, he was relieved to find Wendy's outlets at least in the Kanto area where he would play home games with the Swallows and road encounters at Tokyo Dome against the Yomiuri Giants and in Yokohama vs. the BayStars.

Starting pitchers for Central League games were — and still are — confidential until just before game time, but the counter people at the Wendy's near Jingu Stadium knew if Kevin would be pitching on a given night.

If the media or Giants scouts wanted to confirm Hodges would be the Yakult starter, all they had to do was stake out the Wendy's about 2 p.m. and, if he showed up for his chicken sando, they had their answer.

Hodges must have been able to place his Wendy's order often during his first year and a half in Japan, as he racked up a 5-3 record in 2001 after joining Yakult at mid-season. In 2002, he probably ate a lot of those chicken delights; his 17 wins tied for the Central League lead, and he lost only eight times.

Late that season — on Sept. 4 and 5, to be exact — the Swallows were to play a two-game series against the Giants, but not in Tokyo. Rather, Osaka Dome was the venue, and I was on the trip, covering it for NTV. The Yakult rotation figured Hodges to be the pitcher for the second game on Thursday, the 5th, but officially the names of the starters were classified.

During practice before the first game on Wednesday, Sept. 4, I chatted with Hodges and want to make it clear I never asked him — nor did he tell me — if he was going to start the game on Thursday. However, I inquired as to whether he might be making a stop at Wendy's on the way to the ballpark the next day.

He replied, "I don't know any Wendy's in Osaka."

I told him there was a Wendy's near my hotel at JR Kyobashi Station on the Osaka Loop Line and asked if he wanted me to pick him up a chicken burger.

"Yes, maybe you should," he said discreetly.

"Do you want fries with that?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, smiling.

So, on Thursday afternoon, I left the hotel and headed for the Kyobashi Wendy's, located in an American fast food row.

I ordered Kevin's chicken number and fries and got on the subway for the ride across town to Osaka Dome, carrying the top secret of that night's starting pitcher for the Swallows.

As soon as I got on the field during BP, I went to the visitors' side. When Hodges appeared, I slipped him the good luck bag (Wendy's logo concealed) and told him "Gambatte."

He struggled that night but got through the fifth inning with a lead and was the winning pitcher.

Could it have been the chicken that made the difference?

Hodges pitched one more season for the Swallows and was released following a 5-9 record in 2003. He then threw in South Korea, where I am told there are no Wendy's franchises, posting a 9-10 mark in 2004 for the Samsung Lions.

In 2005, he returned to Japan with the expansion Eagles but did not fare well, winning only two games while losing 12 and compiling a 6.44 ERA, and he must have started the majority of his games at home. According to Marty Kuehnert of Rakuten, there are no conveniently located Wendy's in Sendai.

In a few days, apparently, there will not be any Wendy's in all of Japan. Too bad, but it was good Hodges got to play here and enjoy at least that one great season in 2002, fueled by the Wendy's chicken sandwiches.

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The Baseball Bullet-In will take a New Year's break next week, so no column next Sunday. We'll see you again on Jan. 10.

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Contact Wayne Graczyk at: [email protected]