Baseball / Japanese Baseball Jun 23, 2016

Ramirez keeping things simple for BayStars

by Jim Allen

After 13 years studying Japanese baseball as a hitter and outfielder, Alex Ramirez is taking a similar approach to his new job as the rookie manager of the Yokohama BayStars. The Venezuelan, the first foreign-born player with 2,000 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, is judiciously ...

Baseball | HIT AND RUN Sep 24, 2013

Kato's attempt to change NPB doomed by lack of power

by Jason Coskrey

Ryozo Kato had the ideas to be the commissioner Japanese baseball needed, but not the muscle. Early in his tenure, you could hear the sincerity with which he spoke of trying to make NPB better for both fans and players. It is somewhat ironic then that ...