Yokohama Baystars! — Foleys In Japan

From the moment we got the offer to move to Japan, going to a Japanese baseball game has always been on our to-do list. It turns out that our apartment is located about a seven-minute walk from where the Yokohama professional baseball team, The DeNA Baystars, plays. We make that walk on nearly a daily basis because right next to it is a pretty nice playground which the kids love to use.

The ticket office for the Baystars is close to the playground. When we first arrived, I made the mistake of thinking that tickets would be easy to come by. So, one day I decided to try to buy tickets for the following night's game. No dice. Everything was sold out except for two tickets with an obstructed view. A few days later I come back looking to buy tickets for some games weeks and even months away. No dice. There were no sections where four seats together could be purchased. I was pretty disappointed as I had told the kids we could go. Oh well we thought, maybe next season.

Then one fateful day we were at the aforementioned playground when we met a woman with three kids. Her kids were excited because they are from the United States and could actually speak to Miles and Calvin. Our boys shared their soccer ball, and after talking for a bit, we learned that she was married to a pitcher for the Baystars and she graciously offered us tickets! A few weeks later, we were able to take her up on the offer and went to the August 18th game against the Hiroshima Carp.

Before going to the game, we had spent enough time at that playground to know that going without team merchandise was not a good idea. They do not mess around with team spirit. If you see a dog walking by the ballpark without a Baystars shirt, chances are high that the police have been notified and the owner will receive a violation. To avoid such public shaming, we went to the team shop and grabbed some merch. The kids wanted hats with the face of the Baystars mascot, DB Starman. Elsa found a shirt with DB Starmans face on it. I was looking for a team logo t-shirt, but Japan doesn't really seem to do shirts like that, so my only option was a jersey. I grabbed the jersey of the Baystars pitcher who was the benefactor of our tickets; Spencer Patton. With all of us wearing our new stuff, we were off to the game.

The tickets we had were fantastic. Situated just past first base, we could see everything going on and they were far enough up where the kids didn't have to worry about people in front of them blocking their view. We also got a break from the insane heat that had been in Japan since our arrival. On this night, it was in the 80's and the sun was setting as the game began at 6:00PM.

One of the things I've always been most curious about in regards to Japanese Baseball is the food. Well, not too shocking, but Japan has their baseball food situation pretty much perfected. You know in the US when you go to a baseball game and they come around hawking cans of Coors Light? Get that outta here! In Japan, we have girls with kegs strapped to their backs! And while some of these kegs are normal brands like Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, some of it is craft beer brewed specifically for the Baystars. Without delay, I ordered my first beverage.

With a cup of delicious Baystars Lager, it was time to see what kind of food could be acquired from within the stadium. There is so much available and I really only scratched the surface. That being said, the surface was delicious. Just taking a quick walk around our gate, there was curry, dumplings, gyoza, hot dogs, burgers, bento boxes, Dominos pizza, buffalo chicken, and probably more that I didn't see. The kids got themselves a burger and fries, while I dove right in to the dumplings and gyoza. The line for gyoza was so long they had a guy managing the line with a hand held sign. To get in the line, you find that guy and stand by him. He will then instruct you when it is your turn to go wait in the real line for the food. I did not hesitate to stand by this man. Before I knew it, I was back at my seat with two boxes of delicious gyoza. I haven't had tons of gyoza since arriving in Japan but I can definitely say that so far these are my favorite. I now understand why the line is so long.

As for the game itself, it was great. If you're not aware, Japan LOVES baseball. The atmosphere is incredible with the fans chanting and cheering throughout. Here are some brief clips of the crowd.

Through most of the game, the Baystars were struggling. When the bottom of the 8th began, they were losing 4-1. A few basehits later, and all of a sudden the bases were loaded and the Baystars superstar player, Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh, was coming up to bat. On his very first pitch, this happened:

We all lost our minds. The crowd went nuts and there was a huge celebration. The people in front of us began high fiving like crazy and Miles soon had a bunch of new baseball fan friends.

Now the Baystars were up 5-4. The next batter came up to the plate. This happened:

We all lose our minds again. The next batter comes up. This happens:

In seconds, the game had turned from 4-1 to 7-4 and the crowd was roaring. We couldn't believe this was happening. We were screaming and cheering and having a blast.

Eventually, the 8th inning came to a close without additional scoring. Though the Hiroshima Carp did manage to score a run in the top of the 9th, they quickly got three outs and the game came to a close at 7-5.

The night was not over, however. We were told by our friends to stay after for the celebration, so we did. An MVP of the game was named, which in this case was obviously the Grand Slam hitting Tsutsugoh. After bringing him out on stage for a small chat, there was a brief, but cool fireworks display. (In case you weren't already aware, Elsa LOVES fireworks - so she was pretty psyched.)

I know what you're thinking, "Chris. This is bonkers. How could this night get any better?" Well, let me tell you. As the game was coming to a close, we were allowed to go downstairs and meet Spencer Patton, the Baystar pitcher who's wife was kind enough to let us come to the game!

The kids didn't really understand how cool this was, but what really got them excited was when their favorite mascot in the world happened to walk around the corner! DB STARMAN!!!!