Baseball Musings: East-West Differences

December 03, 2003

East-West Differences

Hideki Matsui discusses the differences between MLB and Japanese baseball in an interview with the Japanese press:

Matsui, who had 106 RBIs and batted .287 with 16 homers to help lead the Yankees to the playoffs in the American League in his first year in the majors this past season, said the main difference between Japanese baseball and the version played in North America is in the pitching.

"If a pitcher throws you a fastball in the majors, it might drop out right in front of you. Even if you try and predict the orbit of the ball, you'll swing and pull it or ground out because you won't hit the sweet part of the bat," Matsui said.

I was a bit surprised to find this at the end of the interview:

Other things in life like when he will give up his bachelor's life and take a bride — something some baseball analysts say helps players gain focus — is what Matsui refers to as "a thing he can't control."

"I really enjoy my privacy now and I really don't have the desire to marry now. Maybe, I'm just not that popular with the ladies," he added.

That must be Japanese baseball analysts they are talking about. I don't remember a sabermetrician studying that. :-)

Posted by David Pinto at 11:48 AM | Interviews | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Well, maybe when you get married and "settle down" that removes you from the late night party scene, so then you can get more rest. But then again I'm single, and what do I know. ;)

Posted by: sabernar at December 3, 2003 12:57 PM

If you read the whole article, one of the interesting things I took note of is the aspect of his mild mannered side. I wonder how long some of us Yankee fans will afford him this luxury? Passion can be a big part of the game at times, and if he hits an extended slump, people may begin to ride him a bit if he doesn't react at levels that some fans might perceive he should be.

Personally, I love his attitude of perfection. I always get the feeling he is trying to do his part and more. A working man if you will.

Posted by: Tom F. at December 3, 2003 01:16 PM

Come on! The cornerstone of the Yankees' style is acting like they don't particularly care whether they win or lose. This is apparently "professionalism" which is apparently a goal among grown men who play a kid's game for a living.

Note: I like Matsui too except for his uniform, though he needs to produce a little more to justify the hype. (Do they really not have splitters in Japan?)

Posted by: Matt Davis at December 3, 2003 02:47 PM

well, they say that a man's testosterone level drops after he marries. judging strickly by my husband, i see no evidence of that. but, that's what i guess they mean by "focus." as far as sabermetrics, you could see if a player's stats drop or change after he marries. of course, most of them are long since married by the time they get to the show.

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