19-03-2025
New Japanese baseball exhibit to open at Baseball Hall of Fame in July
An exhibition highlighting the long and storied history of baseball in Japan will open at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in July — the same month Ichiro Suzuki will become the first Japanese player inducted into the Hall.
'Yakyu Baseball / The Transpacific Exchange of the Game' is a partnership between the Hall of Fame and several Japanese institutions that will explore the connection between Japan and America's pastime over the 150-plus-year history of baseball in the nation.
The opening coincides with Ichiro's induction into Cooperstown.
Ichiro, who has visited the Hall of Fame eight times, expressed his support for the project and lent items to the exhibition. The wristbands he wore when he collected his 261st and 262nd hits of the 2004 season, the year he set the single-season record, will be displayed along with his batting helmet from the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the spikes from his 500th career stolen bases and other artifacts.
Shohei Ohtani has also provided various items, including the hat he wore when he struck out Team USA's Mike Trout to secure the 2023 World Baseball Classic title for Samurai Japan.
'Probably about two years ago was the first time that we had a chance to sit down and have dinner and explain to (Ichiro) what we were doing, well before he was elected,' Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said. 'Going back 15 years, almost 20 years, more than 20 years, he's been giving artifacts and visiting the Hall of Fame. So we've always known he's been supportive. I can't think of another player who has come to Cooperstown eight times, seven times while they were still playing in the big leagues.
'He would come in the winter time in the offseason after a long season and come just visit. So to have that sort of support, to know how much he cares about what we're doing there, to know that Shohei has followed in his footsteps and donated so many artifacts, to know that they believe that this is the perfect place for these to be, it's very clear when you talk to them how much they recognize it and how much it means to them.'
The exhibition will cover more than 160 square meters.
Among the Japanese institutions that helped with the exhibition is Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which donated items including a jersey worn by baseball legend Mickey Mantle during the New York Yankees' tour of Japan in 1955.
Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum and The Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium also donated artifacts to the exhibition.
The Masutaro Shoriki Award given to former Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine will also go on display.
'I really commend the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, which is a beautiful little town in upstate New York,' said Valentine, who led the Marines to the 2005 Japan Series title. 'And the Hall of Fame itself is like a sacred monument.
'When you walk in, you can feel the presence of greatness. And working on this, I learned many things, and I believe that the American public will learn so much about this great relationship that not only was important on the field but also the relationship of us and Japan off the field.'
