The 1998 Super Dome All-Star Series in Japan

1998 Super Dome All-Star Series program featuring Sammy Sosa (Robert Fitts Collection)

 

For baseball, 1998 was a banner year. The home-run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa made headlines worldwide and caused a surge in interest in the game after years of flagging attendance and viewership. For a group of major-league players and coaches, the season didn’t end with the last out of the World Series; the 1998 tour of Japan brought many significant stars to Japan. However, despite the immense fanfare of the 1998 major-league season and the massive star power it produced for a handful of players, later analysis would cast a shadow over the accomplishments and celebratory mood of that season, due in large part to the role played by performance-enhancing drugs. In a striking parallel, the 1998 NPB season was likewise tainted by scandal – a sign-stealing scandal that called into question the integrity of the staff of one of Japanese baseball’s most storied franchises, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The 1998 tour also provided an early proving ground for a number of Japanese players who became household names in North America in a few short years. It was the last tour prior to the implementation of the posting system for major-league teams to sign Japanese talent.

The 1998 home-run race between Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs to break Roger Maris’s single-season home-run record of 61 increased the public profile of both men and became a major storyline for the duration of the season. McGwire was the first to break Maris’s record by hitting 70 home runs to Sosa’s 66. However, Sosa finished the season with NL MVP honors.

The excitement generated by the home-run race was the capstone on a season that saw ticket sales go up 12 percent from 1997.1 Speaking prior to the tour, players union executive director Donald Fehr connected the success of the 1998 season with the upcoming tour, saying, “Nineteen ninety-eight will be remembered as the best baseball season in decades, perhaps the best season of this century. No one wants this season to end. This year’s All-Star Tour will be a fitting finale.”2

McGwire was offered the opportunity to play in Japan, but declined.3 Sosa, however, decided to cap off his career year by joining the tour. Katsutoshi Tsuzaki, a reporter for the sponsoring Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, told reporters from the Orlando Sentinel, “They’re both very popular. But Sosa is more characteristic of the Japanese.”4

Sosa viewed the tour as an opportunity to raise money for the Sammy Sosa Foundation which he had founded in June 1998,5 specifically to support his efforts at relief after Hurricane Georges hit the Dominican Republic.6

The series, called the Super Dome All-Star Series, consisted of eight games, all played in the domed stadiums in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. Excitement was high among Japanese fans for the Major League Baseball-Nippon Professional Baseball exhibitions. For the first time, they were given a direct role in deciding which of NPB’s stars would face off against their major-league counterparts; the opening game lineup, as well as the manager for the Japanese team, was to be decided by popular vote. The manager would then select the remaining 19 players.7

Japanese fans picked the starting battery of right-hander Kenshin Kawakami of the Chunichi Dragons and catcher Atsuya Furuta of the Yakult Swallows. For the infield the fans elected Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Toshihisa Nishi of the Yomiuri Giants, and Akira Eto of the Hiroshima Carp, giving the Central League the lion’s share of infielders, although a Seibu Lion, Kazuo Matsui, rounded them out. As with the infield, two Giants outfielders were elected to the starting lineup – Hideki Matsui and Yoshinobu Takahashi. Joining them was Ichiro Suzuki of the Orix Blue Wave.8

Shigeo Nagashima of the Giants was elected to manage the NPB squad. He in turn selected four players from the Yokohama BayStars, three from the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, two each from the Chiba Lotte Marines, Nippon Ham Fighters, and Carp, and one each from the Dragons, Swallows, Lions, and Hanshin Tigers to stock his full roster of 28.9

Also new for the Japanese team was a fixed roster for the duration of the series. In a November 6, 1998, article, Pacific Stars and Stripes described the significance of the change, stating, “The 28-man roster is a break from past tours, where players were rotated in and out throughout the series, giving a large number of players a chance to compete against major leaguers. The system was believed to be unfair because the visitors seldom faced the same pitcher twice in the series.”10

Although exhibitions in spirit, the tour also had a financial incentive. Each major-league player who agreed to join the trip was given a base salary of $85,000 with all expenses covered.11 In addition, the first three games had prize money of 5 million yen (about $43,500), with that amount doubled to 10 million yen (about $87,000) for the latter four games.12

The first game was an exhibition between visiting MLB All-Stars and the Yomiuri Giants, which had finished fourth in the Central League at 73-62-0, on the Giants’ home field at the Tokyo Dome on November 6, before a sellout crowd.13

Hawaiian-born sumo wrestler Konishiki, dressed in a full Giants uniform with number 333, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. On his trip to the visitors’ dugout after leaving the mound, Konishiki found himself highly popular among the major-league players. He told reporters, “Everyone wanted my autograph. I was a little embarrassed by all the attention.”14

Giants fans greeted their squad with their customary cheers of support. The major league players, however, were greeted with a stony silence when they were up to bat, with one exception: Sosa received massive cheers and applause for each of his at-bats.15 In return Sosa thrilled the fans in his first at-bat in Japan, taking Giants starter Yusaku Iriki deep to right field, with the ball just staying fair. Ever the showman, Sosa told the press, “I hit a home run not only for me, but for the people of Japan.”16

Manager Mike Hargrove used five pitchers to keep the Giants at bay, including Philadelphia Phillies ace Curt Schilling, who started the game, limiting the Giants to one run. The MLB All-Stars beat the Giants 4-1 in a strong start to their visit to Japan.

Upon his arrival in Japan, Sosa had indicated a desire to meet with all-time Japanese home-run king Sadaharu Oh. However, when asked about Hideki Matsui, who had led NPB with 34 home runs in 1998, Sosa made an unforced error, telling the press, “This is my first time in Japan so I don’t know the players but I will know Mr. What’s His Name? But I would like to talk to him and find out what position that he plays and what he does just so we can have a little bit of conversation.”17

The first meeting between Matsui and Sosa, prior to the game, was no less awkward than Sosa’s initial remarks. No translator was available, limiting what the two sluggers could discuss, but signed bats were exchanged. Matsui said of their first encounter, “We wished each other good luck and said do your best. Then I watched him practice hitting. His swing is very strong and very fast.”18

The following day, November 7, the MLB All-Stars again found themselves playing at the Tokyo Dome, this time against the elected and appointed NPB All-Stars. Although they were in Japan for exhibitions, the realities of the offseason and free agency couldn’t completely be left behind in North America. The first game of the All-Star Series coincided with the first day when major-league teams could hold talks with new free agents.19 A few hours before taking the field, outfielder Devon White gave verbal agreement to a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he had left for Japan while still an Arizona Diamondback and had only that uniform with him, necessitating that he play the tour in that kit. “It doesn’t feel weird at all,” White reflected. “I’m in Japan and I’m here to represent the major leagues and coming out here and playing ball.”20

Offseason realities didn’t affect just the players. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on November 15, the last day of the Super Dome All-Star Series, that Hargrove had left voicemails for Indians general manager John Hart every day of the tour to discuss potential free-agent signings.21

The major-league squad struck in the second, again with Sosa accounting for the first run when he scored on Javy Lopez’s single to left. Although he scored the first MLB run in what ended up being an 8-1 rout of the NPB All-Stars, Sosa found himself without a home run to support his team and thrill the Japanese fans. He described his performance ruefully, saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t help the team today. Tomorrow I’ll try to do better.”22

The offensive star for the major-league team was Manny Ramirez, who hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning and a two-run homer in the ninth.23 Andruw Jones also hit a home run.24 This 8-1 offensive explosion was to set the tone for the MLB All-Stars, at least when they played in the Tokyo Dome.

On November 8 Hargrove was at the Tokyo Dome prior to the start of the second game of the All-Star Series when he felt something that likely put him on familiar, if shaky, footing. A 4.9-magnitude earthquake had hit the Tokyo area. “I thought someone was shaking my chair,” Hargrove said.25 This was not his first time managing a game affected by an earthquake. On May 2, 1996, Hargrove had been managing the Indians in a game at the Seattle Kingdome that was postponed due to a magnitude 5.4 earthquake.26

Game 2 in Tokyo proceeded as scheduled and there were no reports of casualties or serious damage.27 The earthquake also did little to diminish the enthusiasm of the sellout crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome. Pregame festivities included an opportunity for the visiting major-league players and coaches to meet with Sadaharu Oh, then manager of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and serving on the coaching staff for the NPB All-Stars. The MLB players ran across the diamond for a chance to meet Oh with the exception of Sammy Sosa, who had had what the Pacific Stars and Stripes described as “a private audience with the pope of power hitters.”28

The major-league team was unshaken by the earthquake, jumping out to a three-run first inning. The first two pitches of the game thrown by NPB starter Kenshin Kawakami were hit for singles by Fernando Vina and Jason Kendall. Carlos Delgado then launched a home run to right-center, giving the MLB All-Stars a 3-0 lead.

The NPB All-Stars scored in the second on a sacrifice fly by catcher Motonobu Tanishige that knocked in Atsushi Kataoka. That, however, accounted for the only run given up by starter Rick Helling.

One inning later the major-league stars put up five more runs. Sosa hit a bases-loaded double that scored two runs. He finished his night 3-for-4. Sosa’s double was followed by a sacrifice fly by Manny Ramirez and an RBI double by Garret Anderson.29 Two more runs were provided by Delgado in the fourth when he launched his second home run of the game, giving the MLB All-Stars an impressive 10-1 lead.30

The NPB squad was not ready to give up yet. In the sixth inning they sent nine men to the plate and scored five runs.31 But the Japanese rally was ultimately stopped short with Trevor Hoffman getting the save. The final score was 10-7 in favor of the MLB All-Stars.32

Nevertheless, the major-league squad had positive things to say about the NBP rally. “They’re really good batters so it’s surprising that we kept them down for five innings,” said Kendall. “We knew they were going to get their hits sooner or later.”33 With this victory, the MLB All-Stars had swept their first three games in the Japanese capital. The next three games took them “on the road,” away from the confines of the Tokyo Dome.

After three wins in Tokyo, two against the NPB All-Stars, the series shifted to a single game played at the Fukuoka Dome, home of the Hawks, on November 10.

The MLB All-Stars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Sosa’s sacrifice fly off Kazuhiro Takeda, driving in Andruw Jones. The lead did not last, however, as the Japanese team took the lead on a two-run home run by Hideki Matsui in the bottom of the inning. This home run gave the NPB All-Stars their first lead of the series.34

The NPB team added to its lead in the fifth. Kazuo Matsui reached first by being hit on the foot by a pitch. He stole second base and then third. On the latter play, catcher Javy Lopez’s throw skipped away, allowing Matsui to score.35 The Japanese added two runs in the sixth inning in support of Takeda. Pitching in front of his hometown crowd, Takeda retired 11 MLB All-Star hitters in a row at one point.36 The lead afforded to the NPB squad by their offensive explosion held, with the Japanese team taking its first victory of the series, 6-3.

Hideki Matsui was pleased with his performance in Fukuoka and thus far on the tour. He indicated that this series was more than just a handful of fun exhibitions for him, commenting: “I really would like to play in the big leagues someday. It’s obviously just a dream. In the meantime, I’d like to try to reach the high level set by major league players. I was concerned that I could not play at such a high level if I played there. These series are a way for me to try.”37

The fourth game was played on November 11 at the Osaka Dome, home of the then Kintetsu Buffaloes. In contrast to the three prior matchups, this game was a pitchers’ duel. The NPB All-Stars started Tetsuro Kawajiri on the mound. For Kawajiri – who was on the NPB roster as a replacement for the injured Kazuhiro Sasaki – it was his first start in over a month. The MLB All-Stars started Curt Schilling.

The two pitchers were both supported by solid defensive efforts. After seeing NPB runners steal 12 bases in 12 attempts in the first three games, the major-league catchers finally got even when Jason Kendall was able to throw out two runners, Takuro Ishii and Hideki Matsui, in the first two innings. Not to be outdone, NPB fielders gave Kawajiri great support, turning two double plays and throwing two runners out at the plate, eliminating two-thirds of the six MLB All-Star runners.38 The first play at the plate was controversial, with Devon White appearing to some observers to be safe. Hargrove said at the conclusion of the tour, “[The MLB All-Stars] took it very personal. … Very personal, because we thought that we got (screwed).”39

Bolstered by solid defense, Kawajiri also had an excellent outing, allowing only one hit over the first six innings.40 After the game he described his strategy for neutralizing the powerful MLB All-Star lineup. “I just kept the ball down and threw lots of off-speed pitches,” Kawajiri explained. “I wanted to get major league hitters to swing at bad pitches and keep them off balance.”41

The NPB squad broke a 0-0 stalemate in the sixth when Schilling gave up a walk, a single, and a walk. Ichiro Suzuki then hit a sacrifice fly, driving in a run.42

The NPB team held on to its 1-0 lead with Kawajiri throwing 8⅓ innings of scoreless ball before being relieved with runners at first and second. Akinori Otsuka came in to close and after Nomar Garciaparra stole third, Jason Kendall hit a fly ball to shallow center. Garciaparra attempted to score but became the second major-league runner thrown out on the plate courtesy of a well-aimed, well-timed throw by Hideki Matsui.43

After the game, both Hargrove and Nagashima had high praise for Kawajiri. Hargrove attributed some of the difficulty his batters had with Kawajiri to his unorthodox submarine pitching style. “While there have been pitchers with the same motion and delivery as him in the major leagues, there haven’t been many,” he said.44 Kawajiri’s impressive outing evened the series at two games apiece with three remaining.

Game 5 in Osaka on November 12 coincided with Sosa’s 30th birthday. He celebrated by splitting a cake with some Japanese youth baseball players before taking the field.45

Jason Giambi hit a double to left in the third inning and was driven home on a sacrifice fly from Andruw Jones, giving the MLB All-Stars their first run in 14 innings against the NPB All-Stars.46

Starter Jamie Moyer went five innings. NPB manager Shigeo Nagashima praised Moyer’s efforts to keep Japanese runners from moving up, saying, “Moyer had a very good pick-off move and stopped us from executing our running game. When we face another major-league pitcher who doesn’t have as good a move, I think we’ll be back at our running game.”47 Moyer also helped limit the number of opportunities for Japanese runners to steal by allowing only two hits and two walks. Four relievers – Dan Plesac, Mike Jackson, Tom Gordon, and Hoffman – allowed only three additional hits, with Hoffman again recording the save.48 The MLB All-Stars won 2-0, their only win away from Tokyo.

Sosa celebrated his birthday by getting two hits, a single, and a double. The double came in the ninth inning. Sosa advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Vinny Castilla.49

The series returned to the Tokyo Dome on November 14 for the final two games. The return appeared to reinvigorate the major-league squad’s bats. They struck early with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first by Fernando Vina. Vina scored on a single to right field by Sosa. That was the start of a big night for both men. In the second, Vina struck again, hitting a home run with two men on that just made it over the wall in right field.50

Sosa had his best night at the plate in this game, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs. Sosa’s biggest hit of the night was his own three-run home run in the sixth inning, his second home run since arriving in Japan and his first against the NPB All-Star team.51 Indeed, Sosa had gone 23 at-bats in Japan since hitting a home run in his first game against the Giants.52 Sosa commented about his low home-run total: “When I came here, I think people were looking for me to hit home runs. The type of game that I’ve been playing, I’m a complete player and I’m not going to go out there every day and try to hit home runs. I’ve been doing a lot of things, getting a lot of base hits and a lot of doubles and steal[ing] bases.”53

The MLB All-Stars won, 9-0, with starter Rick Helling giving up four hits in five innings.54 This win clinched the series for the major-league squad, which led the Japanese team, 4-2, with only one game remaining. “We said we have to win this series today and not mess around with it,” Vina said. “We got it together. Everybody realizes that we came a long way and we didn’t come here to lose. This is major-league baseball. We’re representing everybody.”55

With one final game to play, however, it was premature for the players and managers to draw conclusions from the tour yet.

Despite the blowout series clincher, both squads opted to put on a show for the fans in the final game of the series on November 15, culminating in a come-from-behind 9-8 win for the MLB All-Stars.56

The major league team got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the second. That lead did not last long. Akira Eto scored in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout by Motonobu Tanishige.57 The NPB team scored two more runs in the third inning with Ichiro Suzuki smacking an RBI triple and scoring a run driven in by Hideki Matsui.58

The NPB players appeared to have blown the game wide open when in the fourth they chased MLB starting pitcher Al Leiter, who gave up seven runs total in three-plus innings pitched.59

The MLB All-Stars didn’t want to finish their time in Japan being blown out, however. In the fifth inning, Sammy Sosa hit his third and final home run of the tour. Jason Giambi made it back-to-back home runs with his own shot, cutting the NPB lead to 7-5.60 The major-league team continued to add runs, ultimately regaining the lead in the top of the eighth thanks to RBI singles by Garret Anderson and Javier Lopez.61 Brett Tomko, who relieved Leiter, went 3⅓ innings and got the win. Jason Giambi recorded the final out of the series on Norihiro Nakamura’s foulout, giving Tom Gordon the save and the MLB team a final 5-2 record against the NPB All-Stars and a 6-2 record overall for their time in Japan.62

At the conclusion of the tour, the victorious MLB All-Stars reflected fondly on both their own performances and those of their hosts. In his autobiography, written with Marcos Breton, Sosa said, “I went to Japan and played in several exhibition games before wildly enthusiastic fans. I fed off their energy, and in 24 at-bats, I got 12 hits – a .500 average – with three homers and 9 RBI, earning me MVP honors on a team of major-league all-stars.”63

Sosa’s efforts to use the tour to raise attention and funds for his charitable efforts in the Dominican Republic were a success. Between 1998 and 2000, NPB donated $25,000 to the Sammy Sosa Foundation.64 In addition Sosa raised 4.6 million yen in a memorabilia auction at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club at the conclusion of the tour; and a further 2 million yen was donated by Japanese corporate interests.65 Sosa also met with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura on November 16 to request continued Japanese assistance to the Dominican Republic in the wake of Hurricane Georges.66

Prior to the final game of the tour, Mike Hargrove took off the kid gloves he had been using with the Japanese press, telling Pacific Stars and Stripes: “Even though we lost two ball games, I’m surprised how much better the American team is than the Japanese. I’ve tried to be real diplomatic with the Japanese press. They ask you how the Japanese have stacked up, and in general on the whole, they don’t.”67

Hargrove’s critique of the NPB All-Stars was wide-ranging. He cited only one player, shortstop Kazuo Matsui, as being of major-league caliber. Notably, he was dismissive of the talents of both Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui: “Matsui and Ichiro can probably be role players on a major league team but I don’t think they could play every day.”68 Hargrove did add a codicil to his critique of the NPB All-Stars, describing NPB pitching as “the strongest thing I’ve seen [on the tour].”69

Regardless of Hargrove’s opinion of the Japanese team, Ichiro Suzuki was awarded the title of Most Remarkable Player of the series. Sosa said of Ichiro, “He’s got a lot of ability. He can run, hit, throw and field. I told him maybe I’ll see him in the major leagues.”70

The 1998 Super Dome Series could not be isolated from events in the larger baseball world and especially from separate scandals that arose in both NPB and the major leagues during and after the 1998 season.

Sadaharu Oh had followed the McGwire-Sosa home-run race closely. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch described Oh’s fascination with the race: “With the exploits of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa being played up on the front pages of Japan’s dailies and on NHK-TV, Oh followed this year’s home run chase as if he lived on Waveland Avenue. ‘The games were on television very early in the morning, so they were hard to watch,’ he says. ‘But I always checked the highlights.’”71

Oh and Sosa met before the second game of the series. Oh told the press Sosa would be an atypical hitter in Japan, explaining, “Every hitter has his own logic about hitting. Japanese hitters wait longer so they can just make contact. Sosa is more aggressive and attacks the ball early in the strike zone.”72 Both home-run kings, however, would soon be linked to scandals.

The Daiei Hawks, which Oh was managing at the time, were implicated in a sign-stealing scandal at their home ballpark, the Fukuoka Dome, host to the third game of the Super Dome Series.73 The novelty of the alleged Hawks scandal in the world of Japanese baseball was described by Mark D. West in his book Secrets, Sex and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States:

Baseball’s Sammy Sosa was found with cork in his bat, but in Japan, such individual cheating scandals are rare. The closest equivalent in Japanese baseball is a scandal involving the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in which the Hawks stole hand signals used by opposing catchers and pitchers at the Fukuoka Dome. Several people were involved. Reportedly, a Hawks official watched TV in a back room, read the sign, walkie-talkied it to a student planted in the stands, and the student moved a megaphone to signal the Hawks batter. Stealing signs is seen as a minor infraction in Japan – Japanese players routinely sneak a glance at the catcher’s hands – but this group effort, all for the good of the team, went too far.74

Novelty aside, the allegations of cheating were treated as a serious matter by NPB and were reported widely in the Japanese press. So serious were the charges that it was reported that, if found to have been involved in the alleged plot, Oh could face a lifetime ban from NPB.75

An investigation was launched into the matter in the 1998-1999 offseason. Some questions were raised regarding the nature and thoroughness of the investigation.76 The scandal fizzled, however, when the Hawks were not found to have been involved in any wrongdoing. No one was punished and Oh continued as the Hawks’ manager. But the public nature of the allegations prompted the Pacific League to take precautionary action. In The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign Stealing Have Influenced the Course of Our National Pastime, author Paul Dickson wrote, “Oh was exonerated when a team investigation found no evidence of the scheme, suggesting a less than flawless policing system, but an agreement was made between the Pacific League and its clubs to punish ‘suspicious acts’ during the course of a game, including a ban on a runner on second stealing from the catcher.”77

The scandal that Sosa was drawn into during and especially after the 1998 season was of a very different nature. Allegations of PED usage by the home-run race rivals surfaced during the season but largely focused on Mark McGwire at the outset.

Although not confirming or denying that Sosa used PEDs in 1998, the New York Times claimed in an article in June 2009 that he had tested positive for PEDs in the first MLB-administered test of players in 2003. Those tests were ostensibly anonymous, but the names of at least some of the players said to have tested positive leaked after the records of the tests were seized by federal agents. The substance Sosa was said to have tested positive for was not identified.78

Sosa denied any use of PEDs in the 1998 season and throughout his career.79 While persistent rumors followed him, MLB has never officially sanctioned Sosa for the use of PEDs. Sosa has been informally punished in the baseball world, including estrangement from the Chicago Cubs and exile from Wrigley Field until he admits to the use of PEDs and makes other atonements.80

Thus, while both Sosa and Oh were implicated in scandals after the 1998 Super Dome Series, they have had very different outcomes for their careers, reputations, and status in their leagues.

The Aftermath

Shortly after the end of the 1998 tour a new system of signing NPB players to major-league rosters was implemented in December 1998: the posting system. Although questions of its fairness for the players involved were raised, it was a clear sign that the two leagues were increasingly acting in concert. Robert Whiting described the mechanics of the system, writing, “In December 1998, the new agreement, forged between the respective commissioner’s offices of Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, went into effect. … In the posting system, all 30 major league clubs in the United States would be allowed to bid for a Japanese player, made available by a Japanese club, with the exclusive negotiating rights going to the club which submits the highest bid.”81

Ichiro Suzuki made his first direct overture to a major-league team in the spring of 1999 in preparation for his impending NPB free agency when he visited the spring-training camp of the Seattle Mariners. For Ichiro, part of the desire to attempt to make a big-league roster arose from his playing against MLB All-Star teams in both 1996 and 1998.82 Although still under contract with the Orix Blue Wave in 1999, Ichiro told the press, “Sometimes you just have to physically try things out.”83 Finally, in November 2000 the Blue Wave and the Mariners negotiated a $13,125,000 deal under the auspices of the posting system and Ichiro was free to pursue his goal of playing for a major-league team.84

Spring training 1999 had one other holdover from the 1998 Super Dome Series. In a tongue-in-cheek article in the Chicago Tribune before the start of the tour, sportswriter Joe Knowles wrote, “Cubs General Manager Ed Lynch had only three small requests for Sammy Sosa while the slugger tours Japan with a major-league all-star team:

1. Don’t get hurt.
2. Stay away from the blowfish.
3. Save plenty of luggage space for souvenirs, like maybe a matching lefty-righty set of authentic Japanese relief pitchers.”85

Sosa didn’t bring help for the Cubs’ bullpen back from Japan with him – it is unclear if that was due to the size of his suitcases – but he would later claim that he did bring certain mannerisms. In a spring-training game on March 17, 1999, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sosa hit two home runs and, to the fury of Arizona pitcher Todd Stottlemyre, bowed to the crowd after each. Sosa would claim that he picked up the gesture from Japanese pitchers who he said bowed to him before his at-bats on the 1998 tour. Stottlemyre criticized the gesture, leading to a brief war of words in the press. Sosa ultimately bowed to the pressure of his critics, including some of his Cubs teammates, never bowing to American fans again.86 Thus, the odd spring epilogue to the fall Super Dome Series took its final bow.

In many respects 1998 was a complex year for baseball, one filled with great excitement and public attention, in both the United States and Japan. However, while they took different forms, both the major leagues and NPB saw scandals emerge in 1998 that would lead to changes in rules and in how players and teams were viewed by fans. The 1998 Super Dome Series fell at the end of that complex season, as almost an afterthought. But the 1998 tour also allowed a generation of baseball players from either side of the Pacific to see how each other played the game, and to showcase their own skills, talents, and styles. This also came at a time when the relationship between baseball in North America and Japan was evolving, culminating in the creation of the posting system.

While memories of the 1998 seasons may be inexorably tied with stories of alleged wrongdoing and scandal by some of the year’s biggest stars, the 1998 tour allowed a cadre of NPB and major-league players to meet, compete and learn from one another and gave Japanese fans the chance to see up close the dynamic that had made the 1998 major-league season one of the most successful in years. Within a few short seasons, some of the NPB players who took part in the tour would be household names in America – in many cases as teammates with and opponents of some of the players they opposed in November 1998. The 1998 Super Dome Series was, in some respects, merely a set of eight exhibition games in three Japanese cities. However, as it occurred at a time of immense fan interest in baseball, as well as dynamic changes to the game on both sides of the Pacific, its legacy can safely be said to be more than just eight sellouts, a pair of shutouts and the unfortunate sobriquet of “Mr. What’s-His-Name.”

ELIAS TONEY is a SABR member, a student of the naginata, an occasional curler, a lifelong fan of the Oakland Athletics, and a participant in grassroots efforts to keep the A’s in Oakland with a new ballpark at Howard Terminal. His love of smart, spunky small-market clubs playing in dilapidated ballparks has led him to support the Saitama Seibu Lions as his NPB team. A native of Woodland, California, he now resides in Queens, New York, after time spent in Hong Kong and Baltimore. His love of baseball was imbued in him by his father, J, who passed away shortly after Eli told him that he had joined this project. This is his first published work.

 

(Click images to enlarge)

 

Notes

1 Joe Distelheim, “The Year That Saved – and Stained – Baseball,” Hardball Times, May 3, 2018. https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-year-that-saved-and-stained-baseball/.

2 Javier Solano, “Baseball’s Magic Year Not Over Yet,” Orlando Sentinel, November 1, 1998, https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1998-11-01-9811010304-story.html.

3 Shelley Smith, “Sosa’s a Big Hit in Japan,” ESPN.com, March 29, 2000, http://www.espn.com/columns/smith_shelley/452499.html.

4 Elliott Harris, “No Man Is an Island – Powerful Charisma: Sosa Already Has Conquered Japan,” Chicago Sun-Times, November 4, 1998: 124.

5 Solano, “Baseball’s Magic Year.”

6 Jason Reid, “Sosa Comes Through for Devastated Country with Hurricane Relief,” Los Angeles Times, October 2, 1998. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-02-sp-28638-story.html. Accessed January 7, 2022.

7 Harry F. Thompson, “Sosa, Big-League Stars to Battle Japan’s Finest,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 6, 1998: 24, 32.

8 Dan Latham, “Roster for November Super Dome Series,” J-ball www.egroups.com. Author’s collection.

9 Latham.

10 Thompson, “Sosa, Big-League Stars to Battle Japan’s Finest.”

11 Harry F. Thompson, “Hargrove Savors His All-Star Successes,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 16, 1998: 25.

12 Thompson, “Sosa, Big-League Stars to Battle Japan’s Finest.”

13 Harry F. Thompson, “MLB All-Stars Get the Silent Treatment,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 8, 1998: 42.

14 Harry F. Thompson, “Big Leaguers Get to Meet Big Man,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 8, 1998: 42.

15 Thompson, “MLB All-Stars Get the Silent Treatment.”

16 Chicago Sun-Times, “Sosa Hits Homer in Japan,” November 7, 1998: 84.

17 Harry F. Thompson, “Sosa Hopes to Meet the Legendary Oh,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 6, 1998: 24, 32.

18 Harry F. Thompson, “Diamond Diplomacy Can’t Span Language Barrier,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 8, 1998: 42, 48.

19 “Dodgers Sign Devon White,” CBSNews.com, November 6, 1998. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dodgers-sign-devon-white/.

20 Harry F. Thompson, “White Looks Like a Fish Out of Water,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 9, 1998: 24.

21 Paul Hoynes, “Steinbrenner a Good Boss? Torre Thinks So,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 15, 1998: 4-C.

22 Harry F. Thompson, “Ramirez’s Stick Speaks Volumes,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 9, 1998: 24, 32.

23 “Major-League Stars Rout Japan,” Arlington Heights (Illinois) Daily Herald, November 8, 1998: 2.

24 Thompson, “Ramirez’s Stick Speaks Volumes.”

25 Harry F. Thompson, “Stars Survive Shaky Sunday,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 10, 1998: 29, 36.

26 Jim Cour (Associated Press), “Kingdome Survives 5.4 Earthquake, but Game Suspended,” May 3, 1996. https://apnews.com/article/01ded7d24001d1881064f1f230519dfd.

27 United Press International, “Strong Quake Jolts East Central Japan,” November 8, 1998. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1998/11/08/Strong-quake-jolts-east-central-Japan/3764910501200/.

28 Harry F. Thompson, “Japan’s Swat Sultan Likes Sammy’s Style,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 11, 1998: 40.

29 Thompson, “Stars Survive Shaky Sunday.”

30 Jim Armstrong, “MLB Stars Shine Again,” Japan Times, November 10, 1998: 23.

31 Armstrong, “MLB Stars Shine Again.”

32 Thompson, “Stars Survive Shaky Sunday.”

33 Thompson, “Stars Survive Shaky Sunday.”

34 Harry F. Thompson, “M&Ms give Japan First Win,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 12, 1998: 32-31.

35 “Matsui Leads Japan Past MLB All-Stars,” Japan Times, November 11, 1998: 24.

36 Thompson, “M&Ms give Japan First Win.”

37 Thompson, “M&Ms give Japan First Win.”

38 Harry F. Thompson, “Sidewinder Stars as Japanese Win Again,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 13, 1998: 32-31.

39 Harry F. Thompson, “‘Japanese Don’t Stack Up,’” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 17, 1998: 26.

40 “Holy Kawajir! Japan Squares Series,” Japan Times, November 12, 1998: 22.

41 Thompson, “Sidewinder Stars as Japanese Win Again.”

42 Thompson, “Sidewinder Stars as Japanese Win Again.”

43 Thompson, “Sidewinder Stars as Japanese Win Again.”

44 Thompson, “Sidewinder Stars as Japanese Win Again.”

45 “Birthday Gift,” Chicago Tribune, November 13, 1998: Section 4, 8.

46 Harry F. Thompson, “Moyer Hurls Gem, U.S. Regains Lead,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 14, 1998: 31, 32.

47 Harry F. Thompson, “U.S. Wins Game Within the Game,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 14, 1998: 31.

48 “Sosa Celebrates 30th With 2-for-4 Day,” New York Times, November 13, 1998: D7.

49 Thompson, “Moyer Hurls Gem, U.S. Regains Lead.”

50 Harry F. Thompson, “Vina, Sosa Power U.S. to Win,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 16, 1998: 25, 32.

51 Jack Thompson, “Sammy Sosa Hits His Second Home Run of the Series, Going 4 for 4 With Four RBIs Saturday to Lead the Major League All-Stars Over the Japanese All-Stars 9-0,” Chicago Tribune, November 15, 1998: 2.

52 David Picker, “Sammer Wields Hammer as MLB Stars Score Rout,” Japan Times, November 15, 1998: 24.

53 Thompson, “Vina, Sosa Power U.S. to Win.”

54 Picker, “Sammer Wields Hammer as MLB Stars Score Rout.”

55 Thompson, “Vina, Sosa Power U.S. to Win.”

56 Harry F. Thompson, “U.S. Team Refuses to Sit on Its Laurels,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 17, 1998: 36-26.

57 Dan Moscoe, “MLB Players Turn It on to Rally Past Japan 9-8,” Japan Times, November 16, 1998: 24.

58 Thompson, “U.S. Team Refuses to Sit on Its Laurels.”

59 Thompson, “U.S. Team Refuses to Sit on Its Laurels.”

60 “Caminiti Returns to Astros for Less,” Chicago Tribune, November 16, 1998: Section 3, 2.

61 Moscoe, “MLB Players Turn It on to Rally Past Japan 9-8.”

62 Thompson, “U.S. Team Refuses to Sit on Its Laurels.”

63 Marcos Breton and Sammy Sosa, Sosa: An Autobiography (New York: Time Warner Books, 2000), 198-199. Sosa hit only two home runs during the actual series. In this quote, he is adding the home run from the exhibition game to his total but he did not include the three at bats from that game.

64 Shelley Smith, “Sosa’s a Big Hit in Japan,” ESPN.com, March 29, 2000, http://www.espn.com/columns/smith_shelley/452499.html.

65 Rob Smaal, “Check Your Closets,” Japan Times, November 19, 1998: 23.

66 Japan Times, “Sosa Seeks Japanese Aid for D.R.,” November 17, 1998: 20.

67 Thompson, “‘Japanese Don’t Stack Up.’”

68 Thompson, “‘Japanese Don’t Stack Up.’”

69 Thompson, “‘Japanese Don’t Stack Up.’”

70 Moscoe, “MLB Players Turn It on to Rally Past Japan 9-8.”

71 Richard Deitsch, “Catching Up with Sadaharu Oh, Home Run King,” Sports Illustrated, October 5, 1998: 24.

72 Harry F. Thompson, “Japan’s Swat Sultan Likes Sammy’s Style,” Pacific Stars and Stripes, November 11, 1998: 39, 40.

73 Jim Armstrong and Stephen Wade, “Electronic Sign Stealing: A Scandal Two Decades Ago in Japan,” Associated Press, January 21, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/214d00f31b1416082c14083496b4220b.

74 Mark D. West, Secrets, Sex and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 213-214.

75 “Sign Stealing Plot Could Oust Oh,” New York Times, December 4, 1998: D7.

76 Armstrong and Wade, “Electronic Sign Stealing: A Scandal Two Decades Ago in Japan.”

77 Paul Dickson, The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign Stealing Have Influenced the Course of Our National Pastime, 2nd Edition (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2019), 99.

78 Michael S. Schmidt, “Sosa Is Said to Have Tested Positive in 2003,” New York Times, June 16, 2009.

79 Paul Myerberg, “Sammy Sosa Says He Never Failed Test for PEDs: ‘Of Course I Belong to the Hall of Fame.’” USA Today, June 15, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/06/15/sammy-sosa-discusses-steroids-makes-case-hall-fame-induction/3190362001/.

80 Scott Miller, “Sammy Sosa in Exile: There’s Silence Rather Than Apology from Former Cubs Star,” Bleacher Report, February 25, 2015. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2368638-sammy-sosa-in-exile-theres-silence-rather-than-apology-from-former-cubs-star.

81 Robert Whiting, The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime (New York: Warner Books, 2004), 145.

82 Narumi Komatsu and Ichiro Suzuki, Ichiro on Ichiro: Conversations with Narumi Komatsu (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2004), 86.

83 David Shields, Baseball Is Just Baseball: The Understated Ichiro (New York: Blue Rider Press, 2012), 31.

84 David Hill, “Mariners History: Ichiro Suzuki First Position Player Signed from Japan,” Fansided: Call to the Bullpen. https://calltothepen.com/2016/11/18/mariners-history-ichiro-suzuki-first-position-player-signed-japan/.

85 Joe Knowles, “Hit & Run,” Chicago Tribune, November 14, 1998: Section 3, 1.

86 Paul Sullivan, “A Tale of 2 Sammy Sosas: The Best and Worst of the Chicago Cubs Slugger,” Chicago Tribune, June 13, 2020: Section 2, 2.

87 These tables include all participants in the series including the game against the Yomiuri Giants. Yoshikazu Matsubayashi, Baseball Game History: Japan vs, U.S.A. (Tokyo: Baseball Magazine, 2004), 110; Nippon Professional Baseball Records, https://www.2689web.com/nb.html.