Pitcher Carter Stewart, last season's history-making signing for the Pacific League's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, is learning to make the most of his eye-opening opportunity to play in Japan while dealing with the constraints imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint interview with Kyodo News and the Japan Baseball Weekly Podcast to be released Sunday, Stewart, the eighth overall pick in Major League Baseball's June 2018 amateur draft, said he has gotten even more than he expected when he signed a six-year deal with the powerhouse Hawks.
The warmth of the fans, the cultural experience, the quality of the baseball and his interactions with veteran players have all turned what looked like a good opportunity into the chance of a lifetime he hopes others take advantage of in the future.