Here and There@CardsMagazine CARDINALS MAGAZINE 51
Before Miles Mikolas entertained the
notion of playing in Japan, he had a chance
to learn what the experience might be like
from someone who had been there.
One of his teammates on the 2014
Rangers, fellow starter Colby Lewis, had
spent two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp
before returning in 2010 and helping Texas
reach the World Series in back-to-back
years (including one Cardinals fans fondly
remember).
“He had great stories,” Mikolas says.
“I had a chance to learn a little about what
it was like there even though I had no idea
that I would be taking those tidbits and
applying them to myself.”
After his three-year stay with the Yomiuri
Giants, Mikolas has the differences between
the two leagues down pat. Here are four he
shared with Cardinals Magazine.
If you’re not the starting pitcher,
you’re not expected to stay for the game.
Once Mikolas completed his between-starts
workout, he was able to head home for the
evening. “It was neat and weird at the same
time,” he says. He still watched the games on
TV, which provided a different – and perhaps
better – way to prepare for his next outing.
“On TV, you can see all the pitches and
the way the batters react,” Mikolas says.
“From the dugout, you can tell if a pitch is
up or down, but you can’t tell if it’s in or
out. Sometimes when guys throw pitches the
same speed, you can’t tell if they’re throwing
a slider or a changeup because all you can
see is the depth. It’s much easier to scout on
video.”
An extra day between starts is the
norm. Because Mondays are off days,
teams play no more than six games a week
and starters typically work on five days’
rest instead of four. Mikolas, however,
often worked on a traditional major league
schedule.
“I would go every five days as much as
they would let me,” he says. “If we had more
important games or someone wasn’t going
so well, I would volunteer to go on short rest
because that was normal for me. Even after
three years, I seemed to do really well on
shorter-rest starts. I like to stay in a rhythm.”
The quality of play is not up to major
league standards. But it’s closer than most
American fans think, Mikolas believes. He
contends that as many as 40 players in Japan- one or two from every team – would be
playing in the majors if the posting and free
agency rules were different.
“There’s a lot of MLB-ready talent over
there,” he says. “They just don’t have the
opportunity to leave because their free
agency system is nine years (instead of six in
MLB). By the time they’re allowed to leave,
they’re usually older, settled in and have a
family. Then they don’t want to leave.
“I talked to quite a few guys 25, 26, who
talent-wise are ready to be here and they want
to be here, but they’re not allowed to leave.
They’re trapped by the system, in a sense.”
Postgame interviews are clusters, and a
bit claustrophobic. Media are not allowed
in clubhouses, so Mikolas usually conducted
his postgame press conference in a hallway
outside the locker room. Because there is
great interest in Yomiuri – the Giants draw
40,000 for home games – as many as 15
reporters would press him for his thoughts.
“They get in really close and there’s not a
lot of personal space,” he says. “I’d have to
back them up every once in awhile.”
Another huge difference: Mikolas was
required to issue a statement soon after
leaving a game, usually while still in the
training room. He’s also happy he no
longer needs to answer questions through
a translator.
“It’s so exciting to be in my native
country and speak English and explain
things better,” he says. “You had to be
really short in Japan to get the point across
because of the way things translate in
Japanese. I’d rather be clear and explain it
more than be vague and short.”- Stan McNeal
From mascots (that’s not Fredbird) to gameday protocol (on nights they don’t start, pitchers
go home), Mikolas happily adapted to differences in the U.S. and Japanese game.