Description
Book SynopsisA hilarious, informative, and riveting account of Japanese baseball and the cultural clashes that ensued when Americans began playing there professionally.
In Japan, baseball is a way of life. It is a philosophy. It is
besuboru. Its most important element is
wa—group harmony—embodied in the proverb 'The nail that sticks up shall be hammered down.' In this witty and incisive book, Robert Whiting gives us a close-up look at
besuboru's teams, obsessive ritualism, and history, as seen through the eyes of American players who found the Japanese approach—rigorous
pregame practices, the tolerance for
tie games,
injured pitchers encouraged to “pitch through the pain”—completely baffling. With vivid accounts of East meeting West, involving Babe Ruth, Ichiro Suzuki, Bobby Valentine, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, and many others, this lively and completely unique book is an utter gem and baseball classic.
