Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball aren't really so different on the field. Everyone is playing the same game and the rules are more or less the same, with some exceptions.
But as the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics found out during their exhibitions against the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, respectively, the leagues are worlds apart in the stands, where Japanese fans take an active role in creating an atmosphere that's a lot different than in MLB.
"That was awesome," Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon said after facing the Giants. "It was awesome. They care about baseball. It's an exhibition game, 46,000 people here (actual attendance: 46,315). That's awesome. You don't see that very often."