How Japan Took Over Baseball

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[@user-pe7lp3xx2p]

The gutsy, traditional Japanese baseball culture showcased in this video is changing. The high school that won last year's Koshien Championship adopts the principle of "enjoying baseball" and allows freedom in hairstyles as well.

[@morcatna4767]

Yesssir (^｡^)

[@mitchconner403]

Donald Douglas summed it up similarly, "Here's proof that free men can out-produce slaves."

[@user-pd6tv2su1s]

By the way, the winning school is also famous as the high school with the highest deviation value in Japan. After graduation, they will work in the bureaucracy or in prestigious companies. This comment uses a translation site

[@rook1196]

Bobby Valentine who isn't really a players coach, took a nothing team to a Japan Series title w/ the radical idea that coaches aren't allowed to beat the shit out of their players. This idea probably also got him fired twice from the same team.

[@Dudeguyforeverlulz]

He covered this in the video.

[@yaniyuhara8165]

I was a baseball player when I was growing up in 70’s. Coach pushed us so hard in the middle of summer practicing WITHOUT water, I ended up having kidney stone! The big scar on my left side is my reminder that hard practice without scientific evidence is nothing but stupidity ! I still love Japanese baseball. But I think I like it better with modern scientific Japanese baseball. Hail to Ohtani !

[@mrjoe5292]

Yeah discipline and hard work are virtues but that sort of nonsense is just posturing.

[@jamesm3471]

So, you had a kidney stone? Well, you’ve got two kidneys don’t you? Get back out there, ya quitter!

[@Set_Your_Handlle]

Since all this footage was so old I suspect they've been integrating more science recently

[@protonjones54]

Yeah, we've done some pretty fucked up things in the sports world... and for what? Thankfully some of these practices have changed over time

[@ciello___8307]

they have changed. most of the npb teams have staff that have worked in the majors and a lot of players have been going to driveline and similar facilities in the offseason@@Set_Your_Handlle

[@Gehenaus235]

I'm just some random British bloke who has never watched baseball in my life but this video is sensational

[@matiasd.c9949]

lol

[@stelladavis7832]

That's because the UK sucks when it comes to sports

[@SerPinkKnight]

Yeah baseball is peak Americana

[@Gehenaus235]

@@stelladavis7832 this video is good because the UK supposedly sucks at sports? Bizarre take

[@stelladavis7832]

@@Gehenaus235 Yes, that's because the UK sucks at sports

[@thewakuwakusan895]

よく集めたなってくらい特殊なシーンばかり取り上げられてて草

[@eastxsidexswagg]

An hour long BDE video? What did we do to deserve this blessing??

[@jabok2cold530]

Wow I didn’t even notice this. Time for popcorn. And explains why he hasn’t been posting recently

[@ZeuZLoD]

Joey and his team putting in some WORK!

[@danielcarrales6702]

I thought I was tripping 😭

[@zmusicoffical]

Ikr

[@Andorski]

BDE fans eating good today!

[@daylight4449]

As someone who has played in the Japanese little league for a few years I can attest that these Japanese little league teams are insane. My team didn't personally practice more than a few hours a week, and it showed. Against the Japanese teams, our team was absolutely horrible and once got a game called in the 3 inning because we were losing 27 to 3, even though most of our players were at least a few years older than most of the other team. They just had an ungodly ability to make hard contact, and their pitching was leaps and bounds above anything I had seen before. Japanese little league is no joke.

[@dodgingonemillion]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing. Was good to read!

[@SadBoys.1996]

but the end result is shohei otani

[@anamoose461]

⁠@@SadBoys.1996 imagine how many hundreds of thousands of boys go thru all the same stuff but don’t even make it to the japanese professional league much less the MLB like Shohei

[@daylight4449]

I’m sure I played against some future talents.

[@SadBoys.1996]

@@anamoose461 because they’re not Shohei Otani

[@hoffmanredhawksfootball11U]

As someone coming from Japan who's followed Japanese baseball since 90's, I can testify that this video touches on every single significant moment/topic of the last 3 decades and on point with its analysis of pros and cons of Japanese baseball. Hats off to incredible research. Amazing work!

[@octopuss1918]

But american baseball is still good too.

[@rickmortt8546]

Now do hockey

[@Ibhenriksen]

The reason why it's like this is because of nationalistic and historical disputes that trail back from China dating back to ancient times! Japan wanted to show what respect really should be.

[@MrThejboe3oh5]

It's respectable but they really need to change their ways when dealing with pitcher's in their youth...that much strain definitely does damage and shortens their careers

[@onlyDoti]

If you watched/read Ace of Diamond, you cried watching this. The amount of heart these kids have brings me to tears.

[@jmsantos1317]

kataoka was the first person i've thought of when i saw this video😂 i was looking for a Daiya no Ace comment and i found yours😂

[@BaseballCards1383]

Every like this comment gets, I’ll do one push-up

[@LavaLord141]

No you won’t

[@AZHiLights]

no one like it he does it just to get likes on a comment

[@bryanjohnston9737]

I’m calling cap

[@truss3518]

Oh boy

[@rjay._.1]

I doubt it. Post a video

[@themail3079]

I'm not that into baseball, but this channel is one of the best things in sports journalism today.

[@cargopilotguy305]

Facts. This guy and Jxmyhighroller are the pinnacle of sports journalism on KZbin. Excellent content. I’m not even a basketball fan and I watch Jimmy’s videos. And this channel has turned me into a baseball fan

[@Winkle-Dinkle]

Same. I literally never watch baseball but I find the stories entertaining

[@a006delta]

No shit, can't be into a game that doesn't exist

[@ibosutv]

@@a006deltalol 😭😭😭

[@ChannelyChannel]

@@cargopilotguy305Secret base is also a fantastic sports channel especially any content Jon Bois makes.

[@pete6705]

I had a small skinny Japanese kid on my little league team who just moved to America. That was many years ago, but he’s one of my only teammates I remembered. He threw like a rocket, perfectly accurate throws from the outfield or from 3rd to 1st, like 70 mph when the rest of us probably only threw 40 mph

[@movitde]

I am from germany and don't even comprehend what is going on in baseball but still watched this 1hr video. Goes to show how good your vids are.

[@kojbo]

I know, right? What the hell are even the rules

[@octopuss1918]

@@kojboYou hit the ball with a bat and then you run in a circle. Easy to understand.

[@mikaellund1404]

As an American who spent 3 years growing up in Nagoya Japan. Watching the Nagoya Dragon baseball team is something I will never forget. Made it onto the jumbo-tron 3 times in a game and the crowd was WILD yet respectful. Drums, chants, cheers. Great life experience.

[@difencrosby]

I lived in Kasugai for 2 years.

[@cejannuzi]

Yeah but they just go on cheering all the time instead of responding to what is going on the game. It's annoying.

[@bena4072]

those games are fun especially if hometeam is winning but it takes some getting used to--especially when the home team is losing but the chanter/cheerleaders are still cheering and singing like they have a shot at winning...

[@ahmedsalim571]

@@cejannuzilol i feel you man but it’s about the culture. In Japan the crowd cheers for Both teams for some reason and I still don’t get it tbh.

[@user-yn8zn4xd8v]

​@@cejannuziI'm replying as a Japanese person who loves baseball. That's completely off the mark. Japanese people deeply love baseball. It just became a form of singing cheering songs when supporting your favorite team. That's why I'm always happy and sad about what happens on the field, and when an opposing player makes a good play, I applaud even if it's from the opposing team, and I pay close attention to every move made by the players on the team I'm rooting for. This is because the fans have a deep love for their team and baseball itself.

[@sootchh4055]

A factual error regarding Ohtani: he wanted to come to the MLB as soon as he graduated from high school, but the team who drafted him, Nippon Ham Fighters, persuaded him not to be too hasty. They drew up a "business plan" which would better prepare Ohtani as a pro, both as a hitter and pitcher, so he would be ready for MLB a few years later. They wanted him to succeed first in the NPB, and then send him off.

[@superninja252]

It ended up great for both at end of the day, Ohtani became a legend even on MLB, while Fiighters had won with Ohtani, a thing that they are still yet to do even with Big Boss in command

[@akita1934]

MLBがドラフト指名出来るのはアメリカ🇺🇸プエルトリコ🇵🇷カナダ🇨🇦国籍か所属選手だけ。大谷は直接MLBと契約出来ません 【追加】 上記の件につき,幾つかの異議,異論が寄せられましたのでまとめて述べておきます ①｢internationalFAで直接行けるはず｣→internationalFAには｢移籍の制限｣｢国内ルールを優先｣項目があります。②｢高校卒業でMLBと契約をすれば行ける｣→大谷がNBPからドラフト指名を受けた時点で上記の項目に抵触します。大谷は実際ファイターズから指名を受け契約交渉権を指名した球団が破棄しない限り,翌年ドラフトまでファイターズが契約交渉権を保有し,他球団(海外であろうと)は契約出来ません ③｢マイナーと契約出来る｣MiLBだろうが,MLB機構の傘下です。 現実的な話として大谷がMLB(マイナー含む)にNPB経由せずに行くには日本のドラフト指名がなかった場合かアメリカの大学に進学しドラフトを受けるケースしか考えられないが,私が知らないだけで(大谷の場合)NPBを経由しないで最短でMLB(マイナー含む)と契約入団出来るコースがあったら逆に教えて欲しい

[@localneo-graphic4647]

I believe it was more about MLB teams not being interested in him as a hitter. No doubt they were wrong, but the precedent for an elite 2-way player was a sample of 1 a hundred years ago. Combine that with the fact that every Japanese hitter besides Ichiro being a bust, MLB teams weren't going to develop him as a hitter, point blank. Japanese players famously have no leverage when it comes to going pro in the US (once they are in the NPL), and when you combine that with the fact that Ohtani would miss our on a TON of money because of new MLB salary rules (if he had left right after HS, he would have been grandfathered into the old uncapped system), he made a serious sacrifice joining the NPL. His team did give him unprecedented verbal commitments though, which they honored. This allowed him to play as the two-way player he wanted to be, and they allowed him to leave whenever he wanted, which was unprecedented.

[@localneo-graphic4647]

I believe it was more about MLB teams not being interested in him as a hitter. No doubt they were wrong, but the precedent for an elite 2-way player was a sample of 1 a hundred years ago. Combine that with the fact that every Japanese hitter besides Ichiro being a bust, MLB teams weren't going to develop him as a hitter, point blank. Japanese players famously have no leverage when it comes to going pro in the US (once they are in the NPL), and when you combine that with the fact that Ohtani would miss our on a TON of money because of new MLB salary rules (if he had left right after HS, he would have been grandfathered into the old uncapped system), he made a serious sacrifice joining the NPL. His team did give him unprecedented verbal commitments though, which they honored. This allowed him to play as the two-way player he wanted to be, and they allowed him to leave whenever he wanted, which was unprecedented.

[@localneo-graphic4647]

I believe it was more about MLB teams not being interested in him as a hitter. No doubt they were wrong, but the precedent for an elite 2-way player was a sample of 1 a hundred years ago. Combine that with the fact that every Japanese hitter besides Ichiro being a bust, MLB teams weren't going to develop him as a hitter, point blank. Japanese players famously have no leverage when it comes to going pro in the US (once they are in the NPL), and when you combine that with the fact that Ohtani would miss our on a TON of money because of new MLB salary rules (if he had left right after HS, he would have been grandfathered into the old uncapped system), he made a serious sacrifice joining the NPL. His team did give him unprecedented verbal commitments though, which they honored. This allowed him to play as the two-way player he wanted to be, and they allowed him to leave whenever he wanted, which was unprecedented.

[@user-gr3hs8cw9h]

Full discretion, I'm a knuckle dragger that only watches UFC, but holy moly this was an amazing documentary and really gave me a whole new appreciation for Japan and baseball. Thank you so much for the hard work in this documentary and showing me a whole new world I didn't even know existed! Time to go train harder!

[@solenstyle]

Nomo should be in the hall of fame, simply for his impact on the baseball world. You can't tell the story of baseball without Nomo.

[@masonc9565]

Curt Flood too!

[@J.C...]

Hideo deserves it more than anyone. I can't wait til Ichiro gets in this year. I watched his entire career since I've been a Mariners fan since 1989. And his buddy, Ken Griffey Jr is my favorite player. I fill believe Ichiro will be unanimous. Griffey should have been.

[@J.C...]

​​​@@masonc9565OK but that's a totally different subject altogether. There's also the fact that he's not Japanese 🤷 yea he did a lot for free agency but Hideo Nomo is to Japanese people what Jackie Robinson is to African Americans. Hideo essentially opened up MLB to Asian players just like Jackie did for Black players.

[@masonc9565]

@@J.C... I’m saying because of Flood’s impact on the baseball world lol

[@learningvideosbynikhil8308]

Bro I love to imitate his action

[@willchu2601]

As a Taiwanese I loved this video, baseball in Taiwan is basically the little brother of japan and although we have a very powerful baseball team it’s nothing compared to how powerful Japanese baseball has become in the last 5 years. We loved watching npb in Taiwan and have tried to learn more and more from Japan aswell

[@mrlynchify]

You guys got a pretty good league in your own right. Wish Asian baseball was more available to watch over here, I’d love to watch those two leagues and KBO

[@nanajiji765]

We Japanese enjoyed Taiwanese team in WBC tournament. Your team was exciting and fun to watch. From Japan

[@DayvDoberne]

I was fortunate enough to be in Japan for the Asia cup game between Japan and Taiwan last year. Taiwan's shortstop was so slick and Rui-Yang Gu Lin absolutely carved up a team of Japanese all-stars for 7 innings with his deadly curveball. Would love to see both of them on the world stage again!

[@rv8766]

It sucks we cant stream japanese baseball here in the US without paying i found a link, but it was blocked in the US I wanted to watch their world series i couldnt find it if you know a link tell me the name for japan korea taiwan all of um at least there is the caribean series starting next week its only 10 days long though i hope i can find it, if its not on american tv i think espn has it, not sure for mlb,, check mlb66, they record games, and you can rewatch them up until the next day, and check, vsportsurge, thestreameast, best polaris stream,, those work pretty good

[@sonny9054]

The Japanese love the Taiwanese squad. So humble and respectful but at the same time giving everything they’ve got during the game. This is what the game is all about. Winning is just a bonus.

[@denniskung9900]

Another perspective on the crying. Consider the following. You just realized that your baseball career is over, as you've lost the last tournament game in your 3 years of high school. You get flashbacks of all the training and sacrifice over not only high school but years previous. Seven days of repetive grounders, cleaning the baseball grounds with your hands, 35+ degree temperature, verbal and physical humilation. But you strive on. It's all you've known for years. Surrounding you now are teammates, who've taken the journey with you. Your juniors come and both congratulate and console you, thanking you for your guidance, promising to continue the fight. All is over now ... bittersweet. Every year, this is what many highs schoolers go through. After you've given your all, and finality inevitably comes ... how can you not cry?

[@troybaxter]

It's definitely similar in America in terms of that mindset. I remember my last game in high school and how disappointed I was in not being able to continue playing with my teammates. All the hard work I had put in over 4 years (3 years with our new head coach) with fellow seniors that I have known since either my JV days freshman year, or with two teammates, our club days. It is bittersweet to let go. Some will openly cry, others will not, but the pain is mostly still there.

[@user-oz3zg3vc7g]

my friend ron passed away last year and i wish he was still here to sit down and enjoy this absolutely monster of a video from you he would have loved that you made an hour long vid!

[@InsanelyDank2]

Japanese players who go to the MLB always say that one of the hardest things they have to adjust to, is the minimal amounts of practice they get before the game. Seiya Suzuki, known quite famously in Japan for practicing a lot despite his already successful career in npb, said in an interview that he had to find time to practice by himself in the MLB, since practice sessions before games are extremely short, and major league players simply don’t practice as much as normal npb players. Really shows the difference in culture between the two.

[@cejannuzi]

Which is why Ichiro had his own in-season and off-season routines. In a way, his whole life was built around his training and practice routines.

[@Rhugor]

Same dynamic in basketball too. Euro players practice far more with many Americans down to little league equivalents considering 6 games a week as practice.

[@davidnelson7719]

I mean, it isn't a surprise. As easy as is to respect on the surface, the same mentality is destroying Japan... even down to the demographics.

[@Rhugor]

Unless I am misunderstanding, the Euro players in basketball are totally dominating, as they have a significantly better grasp of the basics of basketball and team play. Americans just want the highlight play and... well Carmelo Anthony is proof that gets you nowhere @@davidnelson7719

[@titheproven954]

I mean, it seems healthier to me. Besides the fact that they should have LIVES. The morality of telling people they have to give their current lives and futures with destroyed bodies is ghastly. It also seems to spit in the face of the purpose of a GAME is to have fun. You can for sure have extreme competition and take it seriously, but it seems to dishonor the spirit of the games.

[@dmdeester]

Jimmy Dugan: "There's no CRYING in baseball!!!" Japanese Baseball manager: "There IS crying in baseball!!!"

[@user-to9lk8ix6h]

And it better be blood!

[@ErnestoGonzalezNeira]

Manly tears in baseball: not a bad idea at all.

[@try44]

Can we all take a minute to acknowledge the perfectly executed narration, background music, & editing? It's not often all three come together so flawlessly. We might as well appreciate the research required to make an hour long video, as well as the unbelievable amount of time spent just to go through and select all the individual clips. Great work my friend, truly impressive.

[@user-vg3bx7ri7o]

I love how they appear to be yelling at each other and just a random kiss is given.

[@user-bk5kw9cr1q]

As a 23 year old Japanese guy who played baseball for 12 years in Japan, this content is so fun to watch. When in it comes to abusing, when I was in junior high school, I got kicked at my belly by a coach, but it was totally fineI got used to it and he’s too old no power When I was in high school, we were so focused on baseball to go to “Koshien”. In Japan, we have almost no rest day, personally when I was in a junior high school n high school, we had only one rest day in a week. I dumped my girlfriends cuz I wanted to practice it more and I had to study for uni we rarely had time to hang out with friends But this memory in high school is my treasure

[@mitchconner403]

I think most people are okay with brutal work you put it. What people object to is making injured players play causing them further injury. It causes some people to die like some of the examples cited in this video, and dying for baseball is kind of the dumbest thing in my opinion. The same thing happens in American Football with traumatic brain injuries. People getting irreparable brain damage while playing a high school sport is also dumb.

[@thewokestoic2432]

As an American this was so shocking to watch. We’ve definitely begun to respect Japanese baseball again with the rise of Ohtani & the 2023 WBC. What’s more shocking is how realistic I’m realizing the Anime *Ace of Diamond* is. I thought it was just over dramatic like anime often is, but NO HAHAHA

[@skydivenext]

​@BuffaloBob-556it sums up how boring baseball that you gotta came with gay ideas to make interesting lol

[@skydivenext]

It is sad lol my friend and I got hit in the ass with baseball bats lol One got an hematoma and the mother complained Lol baseball culture was so fucked up lolololol BORING AND TRAUMA INDUCING😅

[@trashbug1]

@@skydivenext lol

[@FrankThe77Tank]

I think the most shocking fact was that the MOST pitches thrown in the 2023 season was 117… NOBODY got to the 120’s.. WILD

[@carlolingesso1471]

The only one I can think of is Michael Lorenzen during his perfect game with 124

[@coloradodrives7784]

That pitcher that did it is pushing 41 to lol. The younger guys gotta step up their game.

[@FrankThe77Tank]

@@carlolingesso1471 Why’d he say the highest was 117 then?? I knew that sounded off..

[@nicholasming5976]

I think that was because of the pitch clock. Pitchers were getting gassed in 7th because they couldn’t slow the pace.

[@wpgjetsandbluejaysfan9064]

alex cobb threw 131 on august 29

[@oddthemute6172]

I honestly cannot wait for the next WBC just to see the Japanese team play. Those guys are nuts.

[@mrhoneycutter]

While I can appreciate the intensity and commitment it’s great to hear that the abusive culture has changed. There is no question that those kids are committed and dedicated, while discipline is great, there’s a fine line between abuse and discipline, that said they are doing a lot to address it these days. That said, it’s great for the MLB & Baseball in general that Japanese baseball is getting more recognition and exposure; plus it’s amazing to see more Japanese players in the MLB too.

[@atn7092]

To put those population numbers in context, Japan is 124 million people total. That means half the population of the entire country watched the national team’s exhibition games 😮

[@KBEM.mp4]

That's just going by televisions, probably way more

[@Xumal]

Insane to think about, I cannot imagine that many people in America watching anything @@KBEM.mp4

[@BraveFencer]

Sadly a lot of that population are geriatrics

[@KRIAJK]

Yeah... That's not how TV works. There's a few million in there that are from other countries.

[@Arigator2]

Basketball is just called Basketball in Japan and is written in Katakana like a foreign word. Baseball in Japanese is written as 野球 (Yakyū). They gave it Kanji and a Japanese name. Ramen doesn't even have Kanji. It's still written in Katakana.

[@blackflagnation]

I played baseball on an American high school team in Japan. Our main competition was the other international schools and US military base schools in the area, but we would also play Japanese schools during the season. Mind you, none of the Japanese schools we played were Koshien caliber, but they would smoke us every time.

[@itslife1399]

I can say that some of our best could compete with their best. It's just there's more of them.

[@cjcable6995]

@@itslife1399 What do you mean? At the HS school level, only a few American HS teams could compete with Japan's HS teams. But that is based on what we care about at each level of the game. Our professional teams are significantly better than theirs though. Yoshida was a top 5 hitter in the entire league over in Japan and was the second best rookie on his own team over here, a team that finished last place in their division. America is still clearly better at baseball. We just don't care about HS baseball that way. For good reason - I wouldn't let my kid play baseball if they were going to get tortured by coaching staff. I appreciate the respect, integrity, and tradition in the Japanese game, but there are better ways of promoting those values than the degree of physical abuse they put players through.

[@bam6210]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@cjcable6995this dude said “finished last place in the division” as an argument lol. Ohtani hasn’t had a single playoff appearance with angels and is 2x unanimous mvp and best player in baseball. Sorry the sport is a team game. Maybe add some context, no you don’t appreciate Japanese baseball, you’re offended at the video and felt the need to subtly diss japan and boast about how the US Is still the best. Yoshida was in genuine rookie of the year talks in the middle of the season, he didn’t have a bad year at all. In fact he finished top 5, and was only the 2nd best rookie on the team because another Red Sox finished 3rd in rookie rankings. And Another funny thing regarding your “last place in division” comment is the fact that the Red Sox play in the best division in baseball, and their record despite finishing last, is better than 4/5 of the entire Al central. Context matters. And if you’re going to list yoshida, you can also name Kodai senga who came over as a 30 year old, runners up for rookie of the year and dominated. But only players that fit your point right?

[@brandonbyrnes6302]

@@cjcable6995Oh yeah that’s why the highest paid player if all time and pitcher of all time are from Japan because American is sooooo much better than Japan at baseball… keep coping that Japan is far superior than the US at the sport and producing great baseball players😂 you should be happy that Japan takes the sport so seriously maybe players from other countries will start putting in the effort to be as disciplined and good as the people who love this sport the most

[@777Justin]

Were you an ASIJ Mustang? I was a Kinnick Red Devil.

[@brianchar-bow3273]

Japanese "YAKYU" baseball was derived uniquely from American-style baseball and took more than 100 years to achieve. The fact is that on this same planet, there is another baseball that exists in a different spirit than the US style. Of course, the roots of baseball are USA(or UK), but baseball that was exported to other countries from USA and took root there developed in a different way. This would be a fact. 2023 WBC was the day that ”Japanese YAKYU” defeated the home of ”American-style baseball”. Another way to describe this is to say that it was a battle between Japanese-style "ZEN-INｰYAKYU” baseball, which emphasizes "Teamwork among all players", and American-style baseball, which emphasizes "Individual power players", and it was a day when ZEN-INｰYAKYU (Teamwork-oriented organizational baseball) won. Japanese "YAKYU" baseball is different from American-style baseball. The facts of what is happening are outside the American way of thinking. First of all, the point is the fact that a team of players raised on Japanese-style YAKYU BASEBALL can beat a team raised on American-style BASEBALL in an official game. And why can that happen? It is not because there are many blessed players like Otani waiting in the wings in Japan. First, the Japanese baseball education system to bring up players is different from that in the United States. Second, the way to set goals in the game is different. In Japan, the way to win a baseball game is to concentrate on scoring as many runs as possible with the combined efforts of all players in the game, rather than on demonstrating the superhuman ability of an individual. In other words, the goal is to win games through the coordinated play, cooperative play, and role-sharing of the entire team rather than a single superstar. Rather than a collection of individual plays, they aim to play baseball in which all team members beat the opposing team in a game by the combined strength of the team and organizational skills of all team members. Third, to develop the players' physical and mental strength, based on their individual characteristics, they should voluntarily set individual improvement goals and work stoically and tirelessly toward the final goal from their youth. And they believe that doing so ascetically is a very valuable action. These three points in particular are different from the American style, or to put it another way, they may just be different points of importance or emphasis. If Ohtani had been educated and raised in the U.S., Shohei Ohtani might not exist in MLB today. Also, if an unknown American boy grew up as a baseball boy in Japan, he might become a player with a body like Otani's. It means that environmental factors and ways of thinking are more important than DNA. I suppose that these differences in baseball are the result of cultural differences that stem from the long history of differences in living standards and natural environments.

[@NoUploadJustComment]

Ohtani striking out Trout to win the WBC is one of the greatest moments in baseball history

[@joshlewis575]

Could u imagine "big boss" rolling into Dodger Stadium on the hovercraft. The opposing team would be so butt hurt. The atmosphere of Japanese baseball is sick!!

[@yaniyuhara8165]

NPB is taking baseball entertainment to the nth degree !

[@evergreenrider]

Japan also had the best MMA presentation with Pride

[@Cap7171]

NASCAR-levels of wacky extra crap!

[@ebscoHOSTpub]

Dodger fans are some of the most vanilla. Why would anyone be butt hurt big boss flies around Dodger stadium?

[@babobenson5203]

​@@ebscoHOSTpubsomeone hasn't been to dodger stadium in another teams jersey.. wear a braves, Astros, or Yankees jersey in the outfield at dodger stadium and tell me the fans are vanilla.

[@Ariana321]

I often joke about the idea of Shohei Ohtani being created in a lab as part of something akin to a supersoldier program, but the more I see of Japanese baseball culture? The more I think they might *actually* try and do that, lol.

[@montanawildhack2760]

then you've totally misinterpreted Japanese culture...

[@symptomofsouls]

China had a breeding program to create superstar basketball players which ended up creating Yao Ming (yes this is a true story) They basically took the tallest men and women they could find, forced them to have intercourse, then trained the kids in basketball

[@GIRTHYANDITCURVES]

All this just to lose to Dominicans ☠️☠️

[@ocha128]

As a Japanese, I can confirm Shohei Ohtani is the result of a scientific experiment😂

[@whannabi]

​@@montanawildhack2760Call it culture or whatever you want but at the core that's kinda what it is.

[@AndrewVaughanOfficial]

I always appreciate how you keep the density of information consistent in your videos. This was an hour long but none of that time felt wasted; there were questions that came after I heard something you said and you answered them immediately afterward.

[@Ganobrator]

Dude I was so enthralled by this video that I didn't know it was an hour long until after I finished it and started reading the comments.

[@meetra5073]

One fact I'd like to add about koshien and best performances: There was one player named Seiichi Shima, who back in 1939 pitched 5 games, allowed 5 hits, 5 shutouts, 57 Ks, and 2 no hitters in the semi finals and finals which earned him the nickname "The legendary pitcher". Sadly he was killed in ww2 before he ever got the chance to play professionally

[@cargopilotguy305]

@@dog-ez2nuwas about to say the exact same thing.

[@moderateatberkeley]

@@dog-ez2nuhe was drafted into the navy in 1944 when he was still a student at Meiji university, where he was studying to be a newspaper reporter. He died onboard an escort ship in March 1945 when it struck a mine. Doesn’t matter which side you might have supported: this was a tragic loss of life, and your simplistic hero villain brush painting is deplorable.

[@meetra5073]

@@dog-ez2nu what the other guy said for 1. For 2: either way a war took away what could've been one of the best pitchers seen

[@unbearablepun8608]

@@dog-ez2nuI mean it’s the governments that throw their ppl into wars. Japan was basically a dictatorship (‘absolute monarchy’) at the time

[@CrackzTV]

@@dog-ez2nuI don’t think he personally planned Pearl Harbor or the Chinese war, so yes sadly he was killed in ww2

[@vincenthuebner2110]

Stories of abuse in high school baseball sounds like an extreme version of how American Football is treated in the US. Still remember an incident when a player broke his leg and missed practice for 2 weeks. He ended up having to run up and down the football field, and do a push-up every 5 yards. He did that 14 times, to make up the 14 days of practice he missed.

[@anamoose461]

yeah that’s honestly probably the best american sport to compare it to, especially since football has a similar level of fervent respect among fans and players of all levels of the sport. it just doesn’t have the militaristic element of japanese baseball.

[@NRC613]

Japan far worst yout American nfl soft

[@NRC613]

​@anamoose461 you Americans makee laugh .. Japan baseball alot harder on the people then football in America

[@HallucinatingHedgehogs]

I remember a story from like maybe a decade ago. I saw it on the local news since I lived in MD. A university of Maryland football player died it was either of heat stroke or a heart attack. I think they were denied water in like 80* heat.

[@cornman3765]

​@@NRC613Thats why the comment said it was more extreme? He admitted that japenese baseball is much more difficult.

[@zzyzxzy9061]

my god... I never would have thought that practice conditions could reach that level of demand. What a video too. It didn't feel like an hour long. I was HOOKED!

[@zrumpz]

I'm not really a baseball fan, but I happened to be in Japan for about 6 weeks which also included the WBC title. I had no idea baseball was THAT big of a deal in Japan. It was everywhere, and pretty cool to see. Even as an American myself I found myself rooting for the Japan team just because of all the devotion they had over there for it (also because like I said, I don't watch baseball so I had no particular loyalty to the US team). Anyways really good video, I don't know how it ended up in my feed but I was not expecting to actually be entertained enough to watch it all. Incredibly interesting.

[@gabrielvazquez1691]

Seeing this after seeing “Ace of Diamond” anime, this puts it into another perspective, and I absolutely loved it. I think I’m going to rewatch it, that’s how hyped up this video got me for Japanese baseball. P.S. 1 hour video from their channel a gift from the creator. We your fans thank you.

[@gabrielvazquez1691]

I just realized I made a huge mistake in not including “Mr. Baseball” in this conversation. 🎞️

[@Tre325]

I was literally thinking of Ace of the Diamond once he mentioned the cheering section lol

[@therock238360]

Major! is another great baseball manga/anime

[@zikalokof1challenge414]

This anime perfectly embodies HS japanese baseball and the sheer amount of effort and training put into it. And that hard and non-stop training creates utter monsters like Todoroki Raichi. The Koshien mindset is also pinpoint perfect

[@glovecompartment00]

The GOAT of sports anime, too bad no one has heard of it though. @@therock238360

[@Thighweaver]

Koshien is like the ultimate pilgrimage for any baseball fan.

[@chinavirus841]

Really?

[@KS-in9og]

@@chinavirus841本当です。 高校球児は甲子園に出場するために血の滲む努力をする。

[@alisonschwab7842]

This is one of the best pieces of sports journalism I've ever seen. So excited to read more about Japanese baseball.

[@okolekahuna3862]

Because of my business, I would frequent Japan, and one occasion, I spent a month in Nagoya. The place where I worked was near a little league field. Every day I would spend my dinner sitting in the stands watching the kids practice and would sometimes watch a game during the weekends. They were so fundamentally sound with every aspect of the game.

[@user-cd5ik7hj9y]

Watching Ohtanis run as the GOAT culminating in him winning the JPN-USA against his American teammate who is also considered by some is one of the Greatest players is nothing short of poetic. How could you not love baseball?

[@j.menapace625]

Suddenly, Tanaka's talk from "Major League II" about a baseball player needing to be a "warrior" makes a lot more sense.

[@JL-fq1cn]

I am Korean..but I respect Japanese baseball spirit.

[@matthewc9806]

Awesome video!!! I don't care much about baseball but I love Japan. This was fascinating and I respect these guys!! Kids, really. Thanks for sharing and making such a great KZbin vid!

[@bb-double-yuh]

The 12-hour practices these kids have to endure makes me feel better about my 12-hour overnight shift. The discipline and determination in everything the Japanese do is unrivaled.

[@MrOdaddy2011]

More akin to abuse than that

[@UndercoverNormie]

200 pitches every other day in high schools seems extremely unwise...

[@Tofuey]

Japanese culture loves abusing and taking advantage of people. It's why suicide is so prevalent in Japan. It's why no one wants to have children. People in charge push anyone below them to their brink; anything less than that is seen as a betrayal.

[@maninthemask6275]

The weak hate the strong because they are better then them.

[@doublestarships646]

Discipline or complete and ignorant blind loyalty that abuse is part of your daily life? Come on now.

[@urushitwo4168]

This is entirely true. I'm Japanese and have been playing baseball for basically my entire life, but man is it tough. Nowadays its more of a taboo to force players to push themselves too hard to the point of "pissing blood" or abusing them hence public opinion, but some elite schools still have this kind of training.

[@melo7038]

I'm glad things are changing. It seems that the spirit of sport and competition got lost in translation with Japan, with it becoming war. Sport is supposed to be fun. Not torture

[@user-dt1co7fr5y]

選手育成ノウハウがない時代にそういった指導が蔓延しただけ 今はまずない

[@matiasd.c9949]

Im from latin america where baseball and soccer are king I only watch baseball during the WBC only to watch Japan this players are amazing to watch the way they dominate all those MLB super stars from venezuela dominican republic and USA

[@ianlulu]

I often dismissed baseball but after seeing this vid it opened my eyes to how interesting and exciting it can be

[@hellpwn3391]

Baseball coincidentally follows a similar structure to traditional turn-based JRPG combat. No wonder they took to it so well.

[@karbin89]

They’re also kinda similar to Vulcans who love Baseball. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5-0XohmhNuaodUsi=Chfnpv2AhhondUBw

[@meetra5073]

lmao this is amazing

[@ManBearPigLOL]

ive unironically thought this before

[@AirLancer]

You say that like baseball hadn't had decades of presence in Japan before video games even existed.

[@karbin89]

@@AirLancer Buddy it's a joke. And it's not like Turn Based RPGs aren't enjoyed by everyone hell the Germans invented the whole concept of miniature wargames.

[@HoopDreamz]

Japan has so many good baseball players it’s crazy. Lot of dudes in the NPB that aren’t going to come over to MLB or too young can easily step into starting roles.

[@usersixnine347]

Out of the 8 Japanese players in mlb last season, only 3 were chosen for the WBC. Americans mistake that all of the Japanese players in mlb are the best group japan has to offer…..without realizing that MOST of japans mlbers are not even among the best of japan, while overwhelming majority of japans best talent is literally in japan. Roki sasaki has some saying he’s already the best pitcher in the world currently and he hasn’t played a single mlb game. The NPB has world class Japanese players. The difference in level from the mlb is simply because the mlb draws the best talent around the world, while the NPB only has the best talent from their own, the Japanese.

[@the_weasler]

@@usersixnine347this is only partially true. Even if the MLB was only American players, the talent would still be greater. The US WBC and Olympic teams never feature the absolute best players they have to offer.

[@usersixnine347]

@@the_weasler massive cope. The USA sent their best batters and were shut down by NPB pitching in last years wbc lmfao.

[@willvintage3505]

​@@usersixnine347 Japan won by 1 run against a staff where Adam Wainwright was the best pitcher and was outhit 9-5. Please define "Shut down"

[@dltguitar6532]

id rather have the Japanese than all the arrogant and mediocre Dominican players

[@pyrojkl]

As an american who never got into baseball until watching the anime Major just so i could appriciate the sport 10 years ago, Its since to see an indepth look at japanese baseball, the history and traditions and how its evolving.

[@thomasredden4263]

I know it’s not the same, but high end Texas High school football has a lot of similar practices that really don’t get talked about. I and a lot of other kids I knew destroyed our bodies bc we would be bullied out of getting injuries checked out, we would get pinned against one another constantly, underclassmen and upperclassmen with no prospects of starting were used as literal live tackling dummies for us to practice getting an idea of the other teams plays, so much so that often JV only got about 30 minutes of practice a week the day before game day to actually practice got there own games. I had a friend who almost died bc he kept being told he was just trying to get out of practice when he said he was sick, they wouldn’t let him leave till he started to throw up blood, turned out good appendix was in the process of bursting. He left a starter and came back 3 weeks later after being berated about being out and never touched the field again in a game in any meaningful way. My first head coach was allowed to step down rather than be fired after he slammed a players head off a locker when he caught them with a vape. They used to hit us, verbally abuse us in ways that were nuts looking back. We would lift and train for 2 hours before school, we would watch film for an hour before practice, practice for 3 hours in the beating Texas sun, then go for another hour long lift to finish up the day. When I went to quit after my 3rd hip surgery my head coach looked at me and said, “I destroyed my knees and I don’t regret it, I think this is just you taking the pussy way out.” And I just left his office without saying anything else. I was a pretty important player to the team as we were thin at offensive line as it was and I was the second best of the ones we had, and they just saw you as a stepping stone to move them along in there career to either an athletic director position at one of the 5A or 6A schools or a good position on a college coaching staff. It’s just very predatory on young kids and using there dreams to manipulate them and use them into accomplishing your own. Not all the coaches are that way, but A LOT of them are.

[@RoadrunnerMoose]

As someone who's actually been to a Japanese Baseball game, yeah I completely agree with this video. These guys LOVE the sport. I went to see the Yokohama BayStars back in 2011. They were a basement dwelling team and the cheering and support was like being at the Super Bowl. I learned that day that the most expensive seats in the house aren't necessarily best. Next time I'm over there, I'm getting a seat next to first base.

[@Arigator2]

There was a Japanese Vtuber who was allegedly fired because she tweeted that she didn't understand Baseball.

[@turkalpha6884]

@@Arigator2 I think Korone just came to her house with a baseball bat.

[@areguapiri]

I saw a game in the Tokyo Dome. A once in a lifetime experience!

[@user-dt1co7fr5y]

2011年のベイスターズがスーパーボウルみたいな声援だった？？？ m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3_KgYeofN2on5I ↑これが？？？ この時期は暗黒時代ですよ？常に最下位でガラガラ

[@gorganhorn6872]

The same type of person throughout Japanese history that would’ve become Samurai are now in Japanese Baseball. This makes it quite easy to understand.

[@adamholt929]

You didn't "become" a samurai in most cases. It was a class thing so you either were born a noble or you weren't. Wasn't much choice

[@sergioterrero]

I got to be honest, an 1 hour long video is tough to watch, but not for this channel. Is entertaining, narrative and even funny the way you tell the stories, and situations in your videos. Great job!

[@kanb]

Even though they lost by 82 points in the summer Koshien tournament, they cannot afford to give up. They are the players who know that this game will be their last official match in their baseball life, and their best friends.

[@0ppaiDragon]

I attended a Baystars game last year (Tokyo Giants). The atmosphere was amazing!!! Exactly what you want to encounter in MLB but never do except for the playoffs. They had songs for the pitchers, batters, etc. Their cheerleader sections were as professional as a college football marching band. Japan loves baseball. Just a few weeks ago I was in Japan on New Years vacation. I saw a team of (I'm guessing) middle schoolers during their afternoon (?) run down in Enoshima while walking to the train station. I was too slow to the entrance and the entire team apologize for blocking the way and bow as they continue their run. Not saying that the child abuse isn't real but I'm glad the video highlighted that it also promoted good values of hard work & dedication to the little guys. Great video!

[@superninja252]

If you like college football marching band you should see koshien, they use bands simmilar to US college football marching bands

[@user-dt1co7fr5y]

育成ノウハウのない時代に虐待指導が蔓延していました 今は殆ど聞きません

[@VerdeDrums]

“So called child abuse” is an insane line followed up by a story of a kid dying during practice

[@LC--22]

yeah after i heared that i stopped watching its ridiculous

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

"So called child abuse" -goes into 11 year olds running 10 miles after playing a full game of baseball.

[@user-dt1co7fr5y]

育成ノウハウのない時代の指導です 退役軍人が教育界にいたので蔓延していました

[@jayc6428]

Don't watch Baseball just always knew it was weirdly popular in Japan, you kept me here for the full hour, well done and thank you.

[@shji-kk3xs]

1 hour long bde video is just what i needed

[@jlui21]

-- i have zero interest baseball until...Ohtani. Now I will glance at vids including this HOUR long vid.

[@hateusernames2]

The World Baseball Classic this past March was legendary; epic matches like Japan vs Mexico, their Championship Match vs USA with Ohtani facing Trout in the 9th inning and having viewership ratings that far surpass any other country. Their passion and dedication to the sport is intense, scary yet impressive. Japan's too strict or the US is too soft in baseball? Japan brings discipline, Latinos bring spice and fun

[@jonahflores1147]

Lmao yet USA gets to the gold medal round and goes toe to toe with them. You would think all that pissing blood practice and discipline would go reaches farther than American baseball but it doesn't 😂 its just people like you putting the Japanese on a God like pedestal.

[@Venom3254]

Trout is a bum

[@ciello___8307]

venezuela vs USA was a fun match too. lots of great games

[@ljpal18]

Japan definitely too strict if they are physically beating on players.

[@oyunboldboldbaatar5519]

@@ljpal18that’s just a cultural thing. Beatings like those are completely normal in eastern Asian societies. You might find it abusive but they don’t.

[@rss5312]

Comment from Japan. Not only baseball clubs but also other school sports teams are doing those militaristic practice. Because the practice start at 6:00AM in the morning, I needed to wake up at 4:30AM. Then, we have 7 classes in the morning and afternoon. After that, I had 4~5 hours practice. Baseball teams is usually the hardest sports club in the school. They are doing more than my experience.

[@user-sk3ep2iz6i]

だから強い鋼の心を持つ事が出来ましたわ😂

[@user-ge3xm2go4h]

That's an exaggeration. Not all high schools in Japan do this. Only high schools that want to participate in the national tournament.

[@rss5312]

@@user-sk3ep2iz6i あれはきつかった… 試合前に坊主にしろって言われた時点で辞めましたわ(剣道部

[@rss5312]

No exaggeration. But this story was in early 2010s. My experience was better than other people. Then, This is schedule of the average student who join sport team.(me) 4half Wake up 5 Go to school. 5half Arrive at school. We need to arrive earlier than Senpai(Old senior). We prepare for practice because the practice start JUST 6 o’clock . (We must act 5 minutes before[5分前行動] ) 9 to 16 Classes( Japanese school usually attend 7 classes in 5 days.) 16to 18/18 half/19 Afternoon practice ( Those time depends on sunset time.) After practice: After go back to home, some people has lessens. I went to cram school for University Entrance Exam.

[@MonteMizu]

The amount of effort that went into this video is staggering. Well done. I felt like I just watched a 30 for 30 special but better.

[@archangel5110]

Ryuhei Ueda, the famous Japanese comedian who entertained the audience with a kiss at the beginning of this video, died by suicide the year before last. May he rest in peace

[@SomeOfTheJuice]

His name was Ryūhei Ueshima, but yeah. A tragic loss for everyone who knew of him, all the Baystar fans, and anyone who had seen Dachō Club.

[@mazdakmina9493]

😢😢😢

[@dwayne2871]

He was suffering from physical problems and during the pandemic, he's lost his mentor who was also a big comedian in Japan.

[@user-kd4jf1lx4b]

彼はイーロン・マスクが日本に来日したときも イーロンを笑わせた男です！日本が誇る上島竜兵は日本のお笑い界のレジェンドです👏

[@sol6131]

As a 23 year old Japanese guy who played baseball for 12 years in Japan, this content is so fun to watch. When in it comes to abusing, when I was in junior high school, I got kicked at my belly by a coach, but it was totally fine😂I got used to it and he’s too old no power When I was in high school, we were so focused on baseball to go to “Koshien”. In Japan, we have almost no rest day, personally when I was in a junior high school n high school, we had only one rest day in a week. I dumped my girlfriends cuz I wanted to practice it more and I had to study for uni 😅 we rarely had time to hang out with friends But this memory in high school is my treasure 😌

[@katlynklassen809]

Best choice. Highschool girlfriends are just stress

[@Peakfreud]

Culturally, it may look abusive and very well maybe. But when you contrast it with some American inner city Highschools whats more Abusive militarist sports culture or After School Gang violence & crime that leads to incarceration, homicide and zero contribution to society.

[@stalfithrildi5366]

​@@Peakfreudah yes, the Only Two Options

[@Peakfreud]

@@stalfithrildi5366 Write more than three word in a reply to someone else and you attention junkies line up like addicts. Reminds me of the 80's street corners.

[@kn2549]

@@Peakfreud The fact that its somewhat approved by the culture as whole and lead by supervised adults is what makes it abusive compared to gang violence(don’t even know why you thought this was a good comparison). Wait, gangsters in America go to high school? 😂

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Thru the lens of baseball, I think you helped me get a lil deeper understanding of seppuku.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Spring Training has been amazing so far, listening to all the interviews with the players about their off season, sounds like a lot are not taking any time off, heading right to Florida in November, fly home for Xmas then gettin back at it till Spring starts.

[@user-qf9wb9vg2q]

It is worth noting that the 2023 summer high school baseball tournament was won by one of the smartest high schools in Japan, which allowed players to choose their hairstyle freely and left much of their practice to their own discretion.

[@taskdon769]

It is one of the hardest high school to get enroll into, so the school doesn't really need to impose extra discipline because they are already very well discipline anyway. Even with the choice of hairstyles that many still are getting a buzz cut willingly. Being smart is actually better than doing endless meaningless drills because baseball is a pure analytic sport.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Very interesting!

[@moderateatberkeley]

Also broadly hated by a large swath of Japanese society. Keio is a rich, spoiled kids’ school (think USC, but they have affiliated elementary to high schools). The top players were recruited from middle schools across the country and didn’t have to take the entrance exam.

[@user-up7ic6ov6m]

慶応OBの方でしょうか。ヤフコメでもKZbinでもOBの皆さんのコメントに溢れていますね。一般国民との認識の乖離が凄いですね。

[@Fo44667]

Minor sports😂

[@EddiMoFetti]

An hour long video talking about Japanese baseball is a blessing

[@NickAries8]

Almost zero interest on baseball in my life and ironically I work right in front Rimini (Italy) baseball's stadium. This is a great video. Kudos

[@zacharythomasrobertson8471]

As someone who's lived in Japan for nearly 20 years, I can vouch for everything in this video. Amazing job 👍

[@SuperShamuu]

Your videos are so good, I realised I was rewatching this again and didn't mind one bit.

[@kazuthesamurai7346]

It's actually not just baseball. This practice-to-death principle coupled with sever abuse and disciplinary practices done by coaches, managers, senpai, and even same-year teammates apply to almost every sport including female sports here in Japan. I, myself, can verify this since I went to a sister high school of Japan Sport Science University and experienced and witnessed every hardship, abuse, and disciplinary practice you probably can't even begin to imagine through a high-school swimming team I was a member of. In a way, your coaches become your parents and beat you up physically when you make mistakes, don't live up to their expectations, or act any differently from the rest, not to mention the abuse you might receive from your senpai, classmates, or even teachers both physically and psychologically

[@megg734]

Koshien is a dream destination for children who play baseball, and a place where high school students absolutely want to participate. High school students practice hard every day to earn the right to participate. Japanese people love the pure efforts and passionate battles of high school students.

[@RexZShadow]

This video finally made all the baseball manga about going to Koshien make so much more sense.

[@NinjaWaffle14The1st]

An hour of sweet, sweet Baseball Doesn't Exist content is exactly what I needed right now!

[@kwalex6882]

I grew up playing my countries version of baseball but as a kid never really had an opportunity to get familiar with American or Japanese baseball so had no idea of any of this going on. However this was such an amazing video. So well put together and narrated that in my opinion it deserves to be on Netflix and other streaming platforms.

[@hittheboof1084]

I went to a Tokyo Swallows-Hanshin Tigers regular season game while i was there. I was super impressed by the crowd participation, all the fans knew all the chants. Hanshin was the away team and they completely filled up the visiting section and brought a pep band. Dont see that in the MLB lol

[@superninja252]

Hanshin Tigers are the most popular team in Japan and Swallows are a akin to White Sox/Mets but in Tokyo where they are the second team in the city

[@suitbanter1851]

and to think that Ohtani went through this system, dominated it, and still be the nicest guy in the world? my respect for the guy (as high as it already was) has just gone through the roof. And of course, this goes for all the other players in Japan as well. I knew it was strict but I didn't know it was this outrageously strict.

[@Dylonysus]

Hm it may seem Extreme to us and it def is in some respects but honestly you pay the price for greatness , American culture is a shallow clownshow in many respects and promotes being a loser as ok.

[@mirikaku5811]

Just for fairness. Far from all coaches are abusive! (Some footage of this video used scenes from old tv drama totally unrelated to baseball..for more dramatic effect) The abuse cases were so bad it was in the media..not a norm. In fact, Most coaches are munched loved for their devotions to their students. Or nobody will play baseball or letting their kids play bb. Shohei’s Coach Hiroshi Sasaki, refused to let Shohei pitch in their decisive Koshien games, because he had seen int the X-Ray that Ohtanis joints still weren’t finished growing.. The team lost the game. Shohei cried and cried but Coach Sasaki was adamant. He cared more about Shohei’s career and future. Same coach also is the Social studies teacher and made the student write, the now famous, Mandala chart of their life goals when he was 15 yrs old. Coach was disciplinary, when Sho overslept and kept others waiting he had to run extra hour and clean more spaces and the toilets for three days. And wasn’t allowed to play for those days..

[@ciello___8307]

to be honest, this video is a little outdated. The system is not as harsh and has been more modernized.

[@piyushraj8109]

@@Dylonysus I don`t think that same culture has produced some of the greatest Athletes in history without ever needing such a grueling training . It is like they are working mindlessly hard without thinking too much That system is abusive it is not difference of culture rather just that japan is still backwards in social values

[@piyushraj8109]

@@mirikaku5811 That coach was good not all coaches are abusive but many of them are it is quite clear

[@BarnabyBaltimoron]

*Please do more stories on the unique baseball cultures in different countries.* This is one of my top 5 favorite videos you’ve made. Thank you ⚾️ 👊🏻

[@dalesum1]

I love em. They know what baseball is. Fun. Entertainment. An extremely technical sport. This is where the game belongs. Mariners till I die.

[@titoodenigbo]

I have been wanting a video like this to be made since I watched Major. Buddy, I don't even watch baseball but this has to be a top 5 video in youtube history

[@Chuckdiesel86]

Japan is quietly awesome at sports. They started doing an American Football world championship years ago and Japan always finishes in the top 3. They seem to be all around good at sports.

[@epicbirdy42069]

They should start playing cricket. With that mindset and training, they would do really well in the World Cup.

[@keanu161]

their college football national championship started on 1947 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshien_Bowl

[@atomknight8361]

They are still lackluster in soccer, but yeah their culture of discipline really helps in sports

[@mr.dynamite2924]

​@@atomknight8361 Lackluster in Football?? Lol. Japanese National Team is the best in Asia.

[@atomknight8361]

@mr.dynamite2924 they've only made it out of group stage at world cup 4 times in their entire history. Making it to the world cup is decent, but like I said they've never ascended from okay to good

[@randyblouin]

Been watching your videos for a while now and, hands down, this one is your best. Extremely well done, eye opening, and informative. Loved it!

[@Legio__X]

“The Japanese are just like everyone else, only more so” Dan Carlin. So true lol

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

Aweome video. I already saw a video about the NPB and its teams. Now thiss video teaches me about Japanese baseball culture, the good and the bad, as a whole.

[@naoto9556]

I remember the moment we won WBC for the first time. A teacher at school stopped teaching and we all cheered for the final game together 😂

[@Rottilargo55]

These Koshien stories about guys throwing a million pitches are insane. If I saw a sports anime where the pitcher main character threw a 200 pitch complete game then threw another 200 pitch complete game the next day I would assume it was a laughable exaggeration, but not only does it happen but we have it on tape! That’s insane

[@DayronRodriguez857]

Japanese 12 year old: STRIKES OUT Coaches: you have chosen death I see

[@mrmr5580]

I've not been into Baseball long, as I'm in the UK and it's not a big deal over here, I kind of stumbled into it during covid, I know aside from the U.S, Baseball is massive in Japan, I just want to say thanks for the videos, and helping me learn more about it

[@WAKEUPTODAYNOTTOMORROW]

If you really want to learn about baseball mate … look no further than an island in the Caribbean called The Dominican Republic 🇩🇴

[@HookedonChronics]

The Caribbean, South Korea, and Taiwan as well

[@usersixnine347]

Baseball is a bigger sport than your football (soccer for muricans) in Taiwan, South Korea, and japan.

[@Fo44667]

Baseball is an old sport in Japan.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Baseball players in Japan are literally their modern version of Samurai. Thats how they train and thats how they play.

[@Fo44667]

Baseball is a despicable sport and far from being Samurai.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

lol@@Fo44667

[@drill_don684]

excusing child abuse because bat go swing and ball go whoosh

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Shut up@@drill_don684

[@quixotix9540]

​@@Fo44667damn bro baseball ain that deep 💀

[@Ruddline]

Sometimes people idolize Asian ways of learning or existing but I don't see borderline psychotic things as 'cool'. USA sees things as they deserve to be in importance. Baseball is a game for kids tbh, we love it and its great to see adults play it hard and at high skill but its not meant to be life or death. I think the childhood happiness and lazier point of view as a benefit of living in the USA not a embarrassment or something like that. Its a testament to the USA life ethic that we are even close to competing with Japan and China. Its because we have TIME to do other things and DREAM that we are so innovative. I agree that laziness has become out of control in the USA and our children test scores are proof of that, we could work harder.

[@MildKnife]

Holy smokes an hour long video. What have we done to deserve such greatness

[@MCHkid13]

I love Japanese baseball. Everyone should experience going to a game at least once in their lives. The school I teach at is known for baseball and it’s a joy to watch the kids play. Makes me wish I played baseball as a kid. 😂

[@trban8r]

If you want more insight into Japanese baseball, I highly recommend the anime Major. You get to see the MC go through the grueling Japanese process from a kid to the major leagues

[@marcus9450]

an excellent anime. Crazy how Ohtani is literally a real life Goro...

[@Bozbaby103]

Thanks for the recommendation. Going to watch. I love baseball history and anthropology, so the anime is a mix of both along with this video.

[@user-xt8hx1yk8f]

あのアニメは誤解を招きかねない 特に高校時代の話は明らかに野球をしている人間からしてもあまりにハードかつ全く合理的で無いトレーニングをしている

[@dshawandunwell3892]

@@Bozbaby103 If you like major, diamond no ace is also another series to watch out for that details a similar process

[@Ashleyhru]

I didn't notice I've been watching this video for 50 minutes already. Listening to you like a podcast is different ongfr

[@theAirborne17th]

The story of the catcher playing with teeth knocked out is nutty. When I was in high school I got my front tooth nearly knocked out by a fastball and got a root canal from it, painful.

[@Ianmccor]

I remember when Yuki Saito actually came to South Carolina a year after winning the Koshien as part of a series between the Japanese and American college all-star teams that was to be played a week later in North Carolina. His team played the Columbia Blowfish in the game I went to, and despite the Blowfish not being that good for a college summer team at the time would beat the Japanese All-Stars. One player who graduated from the same high school as mine even got a big hit off Saito in the 6th inning. There were a swarm of Japanese media covering Saito and I was even interviewed by one reporter since I was pretty much the only person in the crowd who had heard of Saito and knew his nickname (which I learned in the local newspaper which most people don't read).

[@DaveUnknown]

Can't find anything about this when looking it up, got a link to an article or something?