2025 World Series

Major League Baseball ^ | today | me

[Repeal The 17th]

In the early, early morning Tuesday, in the aftermath of Game 3, Blue Jays manager John Schneider was quick to remind reporters that the defending champion Dodgers “didn’t win the World Series, they won a game.”

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: baseball

[fidelis]

"When I was a kid in the fifties, I don’t remember there ever being any Japanese players on our baseball teams. Do you know when Japan got into the sport?"

According to Wikipedia, "Masanori Murakami is the first Japanese-born player to appear in Major League Baseball, making his debut with the San Francisco Giants on September 1, 1964. He played two seasons in the MLB before returning to Japan, where he continued his baseball career."

Japan has had baseball clubs since 1934, a professional league being formed in 1936. The modern Japanese major league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), was formed in 1950.

[mass55th]

Thanks for the information. I’m sure the reason I don’t remember the name Masanori Murakami is that he only played two seasons here.

[mass55th]

👍Thanks!!

[Menes]

If I remember correctly, baseball was introduced to Japan as early as 1872 by American teachers at Japanese private schools. And a lively amateur scene of baseball fans began to develop.

However, in 1934, which Mr/Ms Fidelis has already been mentioning, Babe Ruth toured Japan - and that’s when it really took off. To this day, it’s a really popular pastime in the Land of the Rising Sun🙂

[mass55th]

Thank you. That’s interesting to know. Too bad they thanked us for baseball in Japan by bombing our Navy at Pearl Harbor. Both China and Japan declared war on Germany in WWI.

[Menes]

Oh yes, and China sent a number of coolies to France for digging trenches.

A handful of them stayed after the war, marrying French women. Japan, which was a British ally, took Tsingtau in 1914. Not much fighting, as it had mostly been a trading post.
One of my colleagues at Uni did her doctorate on German POWs in Japan 1914-1920. Very interesting matter.

Still, after 1919, there was a conflict between China and Japan about Tsingtau, which the Chinese won.

[mass55th]

"Still, after 1919, there was a conflict between China and Japan about Tsingtau, which the Chinese won."

And China was our ally in WWII, and we supplied them with military supplies, equipment and financial assistance, and look how they've treated us. The U.S. always ended up taking it in the arse, but not since President Trump has been in office both times.

[Reily]

Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s my impression German POWs in Japanese hands during WwI were very well treated.

[Menes]

Yes, they were 🙂

That’s also what the dissertation of my colleague was able to ascertain. After all, there had been close relations between Japan and Germany in medicine, law, culture and trade since the Meiji era. It was not until the early twentieth century that politically, this friendship began to fade.

In the 1920s, the German ambassador in Tokyo, Wilhelm Solf, did his best to improve relationships again. Then, after Hitler had come to power, the government of Japan abandoned the alliance with Britain (which had led the country to declare war on Germany in 1914) in favor of one with Germany and Italy.
However, the military cooperation was never really close: World War Two was de facto two conflicts, fought and lost separately by Japan in Asia and Germany (and Italy) in Europe.

Nowadays, in spite of these difficulties, the relationship between the Land of the Rising Sun and Germany are characterised by mutual good will. Long may it continue 🙂

[Menes]

Yes, it was one of these quick turnarounds of history, which no-one had foreseen.

I mean, nit just the victory of Mao in 1949 and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, but also the Cold War between the communist and the democratic nations of the world, which turned into a „hot War“ in 1950 😞

Similar to the change of alliances between Rome and Carthage, who had once battled against Pyrrhus before becoming rivals, or Britain and Germany, who had been longtime allies against the French threat. Or Poland and Czechoslovakia, allied to the West in WW 2, later opponents in the Cold War.

And so on…it’s just the little people who never have a say in matters of war and peace.

[Reily]

The 80000 Russian POWs from the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 were also treated very well. The Red Cross commended Japan for it.

[Menes]

Yes, that’s what I have read, too.
Even the few Russians on Sakhalin Island, which had been invaded by Japanese forces, were not mistreated by the victors.
In the treaty of Portsmouth 1905 Russia had to cede southern Sakhalin to the Japanese; but in 1945 Stalin reconquered it for the Soviet Union.

P.S.: President T. Roosevelt was awarded the Peace Nobel Prize for brokering the peace treaty between Russia and Japan.

I have no clue why, a generation later, the American and British prisoners of war were treated so badly by their Japanese captors at Bataan and, sadly, elsewhere…😞

[mass55th]

"And so on…it’s just the little people who never have a say in matters of war and peace."

And nothing has changed in all those years.