Alex Ramírez came to Japan and his baseball 20 years ago. He never left.
Ramírez, therefore, is the authorized voice to speak of the passion of the Japanese for this sport on their return to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after being excluded in London-2012 and Rio de Janeiro-2016. “It’s something they carry with them. The love they feel for baseball is incredible,” the 46-year-old former player, who was a bearer of the Olympic torch on his tour of the host country, comments in an interview with AFP.
Venezuelan nationalized Japanese, Ramírez played between 2001 and 2013 with three teams, Yakult Swallows, Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars, being the only foreign-born player to have crossed the 2,000-hit threshold in the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball).
He became, after retirement, the first Latin American manager of the circuit with the Baystars (2016-2020).
QUESTION: What does baseball mean to the Japanese?
ANSWER: “It is something they carry with them (…). I am not going to say that it is the best sport in Japan because they have a lot of discipline in all sports, they compete where they compete they want to win; but the passion they feel for baseball The love they have for baseball is incredible. “
Q: What is the ‘Koshien’ (school baseball) phenomenon like?
A: “Their teams have more fans than even the professional teams. You can see 45,000 people in the stadium from 7 in the morning, hours before the games start. It is the basis of everything.”
Q: After playing in the United States with the Cleveland Indians and the Pittsburgh Pirates, what did you find in the NPB?
A: I came with the mentality that many of us had in the Major Leagues. I was thinking: ‘I’m going to teach the Japanese baseball.’ I was very wrong. You feel that Major League Baseball is the highest, that Japan is AAA, but the level is very high and there is a tremendous work culture. Japanese baseball is culture, it is faithful to its traditions, classic, very much about touching the ball to move the runner (…). At first, I didn’t understand certain decisions, but I adapted.
Q: And you became a figure …
A: “Here you can have a millionaire contract and if you don’t do well in practice, you don’t play. You have to adapt. Do you touch the ball? Don’t even ask why, touch the ball. If the game has just finished and you have to go swings, swings. I adapted and always felt welcome (…). I don’t feel like I’m better than anyone, but I was able to adapt to Japanese baseball and Japanese culture. “
Q: What is the impact of Japanese MLB stars like Shohei Ohtani or Ichiro Suzuki or Hideki Matsui in the past?
A: Actually, Japanese baseball doesn’t want players to leave. When the chamitos (young people) come from the ‘Koshean’ they are already superstars who bring a network of fans and sponsors to the professional league (…). The Japanese are proud of those who are there like Ohtani having a tremendous season, but they want to see their players here. There is a special relationship with them.
Q: How is stadium attendance?
A: “It’s packed baseball every day. There are a lot of tough sponsors and those sponsors bring you capacity. Every game gets 40,000 people-50,000 people. My last three or four years with BayStars there were ‘sold out’ in all games”.
Q: And the public?
A: “Active. It makes a lot of noise. There is a band that is always playing to cheer (…), it’s a very nice thing”.
Q: Unfortunately the stadiums have been empty due to the covid-19 in Tokyo-2020, but the Olympic Games are moving forward. What message do you think Japan is giving after the 2011 tragedy and pandemic?
A: “Unity. The unity they have among themselves.”
erc / psr
