The relationship between Japan and Major League Baseball stretches back over a century with a number of highs and lows dotting the landscape along the way.
So after seeing the destruction wrought by last week's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed, MLB has stepped to the plate ready to do what it can to aid the country's recovery.
"MLB and Japan have ties reaching back more than 100 years," MLB's vice president for Asia Jim Small told The Japan Times via e-mail. "Through our shared love of baseball, Japan is a particularly special place to us, and we are deeply saddened by the disaster that has confronted the nation. Major League Baseball will certainly provide aid with the relief efforts in the days and weeks ahead. We will do everything we can to help Japan."