Deadspin: baseball in japan

Japan Games End, But Opening Day Is Just Beginning

Leitch — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:15:00 EDT

This photo pretty much explains the lunacy of the Red Sox-A's series in Japan. They had all this pageantry before the second game. Each of these teams is pretty much going to have four opening days. You could argue the Red Sox will have five.

Not that anyone should be having a big pity party for the Red Sox or anything, but they now have to fly to Los Angeles for a three-game set in the L.A. Coliseum. A nifty idea, sure, but more schedule goofiness to deal with. Real games with much pomp, then fake games with much pomp, before heading to Oakland for some muted pomp, then to Toronto, then, finally, back to Boston on April 8.

The Red Sox are the signature franchise in baseball now, and to the winner goes ... well, a completely spoiled start to the season. But hey: Manny homered today, and, as we all know, he never knows what city he's in anyway.

A's 5, Red Sox 1 [Boston.com]

And So The Red Sox Love Begins

Leitch — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:55:57 EDT

Say what you will about having the start of the baseball season happen in Japan, but, all told, it's not too shabby to come into work and watch the end of a game while drinking your coffee. And if you're a Red Sox fan, it's doubly pleasant.

Manny Ramirez was the main hero, with four RBIs, including a two-run double in the 10th, but you have to admire Brandon Moss, who, filling in for an (amazingly!) injured J.D. Drew, hit his first major league home run in the top of the ninth. In Japan. At the Tokyo Dome. That seems like a difficult ball to get back.

The A's made a little run at Jonathan Papelbon — who looked awful, we might add — in the 10th, but Emil Brown stupidly run into an out after an RBI double, and Joe Morgan smiled a little.

So, the Red Sox grind out a win, and the A's got a lot of walks but didn't hit much. (And Jack Cust struck out four times.) We're obviously well on track.