April 14th, 2009

One of things you learn quickly as a foreign baseball player playing in Asia is the unusually fast manner in which decisions are made about you. I experienced it in Japan and initially grew frustrated by it. It was so difficult to earn the trust of your manager regardless of the overall body of work or your track record.

I remember my first season in Fukuoka playing for the Hawks. I was a lefty specialist, which meant the bulk of my job was to keep the better left handed hitters in the league off base in important situations. I was having a particularly good run over the previous 3 months where I had allowed no hits to lefties. I entered a game with the bases loaded and no outs when I hit the lefty batter I faced with a fastball which tied the game. To make it worse it was a pitch I tried to shake off but the catcher would not allow me to, an obvious sign that someone on the bench wanted me to throw that pitch.

After the game I was sent to the minor leagues for about 10 days. The message was clear, you cannot build up trust with your team, they'll make a move no matter what. I finished that season leading all left handed relievers in both leagues with a .140 batting average against lefties and a respectable ERA in the low 3.00's. Even with those numbers it wasn't clear that I would be returning. This is Asian baseball.

With all that goes on you would think you just get used to it but you never fully do. That is why I was in disbelief when the news came that my team here released our other foreign pitcher, Mike Johnson. Mike had a nice showing in the WBC this year starting for Team Canada versus the USA and also went an incredible 20-2 in Taiwan last year. That kind of record is good in any league and Mike obviously knows how to win. He pitched just twice this year for the Wyverns, both appearances coming in long relief.

Someone asked me if the incredible short leash on foreign players forces me to change my approach to my pitching or makes me anxious. The answer is an emphatic "no." I won't let that happen, in fact it's quite the opposite. For me it takes the pressure off and I just continue pitching the way I know best, understanding full well you can almost never earn that full trust and that a rash decision could be made at any moment regarding your status with your team.

I say that after an experience I had in Japan my first year. Early in the season sensing how things worked I felt like I needed to be perfect. That didn't work out for me. You cannot play this game that way. Baseball is a game of failure and even the game's best experience a lot of it. Tell yourself you need to be perfect and you'll tighten up and not even be your regular self. That happened to me in the beginning of 2007. After I was able to recognize that error in thinking and the negative results it yielded my pitching improved and I was able to contribute to the team and have a decent season.

My approach has to stay the same here. If I get worried or start trying to do more than I am capable of I am dead in the water. If you get the chance you make sure you are prepared and just go out and pitch your game. That's all you can do. Worrying about things that are out of your control is a waste of energy and if you let it happen you'll grow increasingly frustrated as the season goes on.


source: cjbaseball.com
credits: aeinsshi