National Team alum Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, BC) has had a roller coaster career since the Philadelphia Phillies made him a 17th round selection back in 2002. After reaching the big-leagues as a 22 year-old in 2006, Mathieson underwent his first of three surgeries in 2007 that saw him miss the entire 2008 season.
In 2010, Mathieson recorded 26 saves for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and returned to the big-leagues for the first time in four years. Mathieson spent part of 2011 with the Phillies and at the end of the season decided to take his talents to Asia as he signed with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League.
A big supporter of Baseball Canada and the National Teams Program, the 28 year-old was gracious enough to answer some questions for Baseball.ca ranging from food, living arrangements and life on the road in Japan to what style of game the Japanese play and what the atmosphere is like at a Japanese professional game.
BC: What has the transition been like to life in Japan compared to North America both on and off the baseball field?
SM: On the field there is more preparation and practice that goes on before every game. In Japan we take PFP (Pitchers Fielding Practice), infield/outfield before every game as well as having pitchers meetings before every game to go over the hitters. In the US after Spring Training is over you seldom have PFPs, infield/outfield and only go over the opponents before each series.
Off the field I expected the transition to be more difficult than it has been. Living in the heart of Tokyo does not feel like I am half way around the world as there are American restaurants on every block and many people speak English making it easier. It feels like I am in a large city that could easily be in Canada or the US.
BC: How have you handled the communication barrier so far? Is Japanese a hard language to learn?
SM: While at baseball and on the road I have a translator with me all the time. Many of my teammates speak some English and a few have played in the US so communicating has not been too much of a challenge. Off the field since I am living in Tokyo there are several bi-lingual people that make it easy to get around.
As far as learning Japanese I could barely decipher any words people were saying but the longer I am here the more vocabulary I am able to pick up and trying to learn a new word every day. Since living in Tokyo it is more difficult to learn the language since I do not have to use it as much as I would in a smaller town.
BC: What is the biggest difference between the style of play in North American and Japan?
SM: Japan is definitely more of a pitchers game. There are a lot of low scoring games. There is more ‘small ball’ played where it is not uncommon to see the second hitter of the game bunting to move the leadoff hitter to second base. There is a lot more strategy and time and effort put into studying the hitters and pitchers, and players here know every tendency of the hitter or pitcher they are facing.
SM: What is travel like in the league? How many games in the season?
BC: We mostly travel by bullet train which is much easier than traveling in the US since our furthest game is 4 hours by bullet train. We do fly on occasion but most the time it is by train. Road trips here are shorter than in the US and I spend more time at home. The Japanese season is only 144 games but it runs the same as the MLB season therefore we get more off days here than we did in the US.
BC: Had you been to Japan (or Asia) before this season? What advice would you give to our Junior National Team (heading to World Championship in Korea in September) about the Asian lifestyle and Asian style of baseball to better prepare them for world championship?
SM: This was my first experience in Asia prior to this season. My advice for the Junior National Team would be to enjoy the experience of getting to wear a Team Canada jersey and to be thankful to have the opportunity to travel and play for your country. While they’re here I would suggest they watch how the Asian teams prepare for the games. A team here will never be ill prepared to play a baseball game. Also be ready for anything, as teams here will be bunting and running at every opportunity.
BC: How big of a sport is baseball in Japan? What are the crowds like for your home games and on the road?
SM: Baseball is Japans largest and most popular sport. We average around 45,000 fans per game at home. On the road the Hanshin Tigers stadium holds 55,000 and it is always a max capacity crowd when we play there. The games here remind me of college football games in the US where the crowd is extremely into the game singing, cheering and having a band that plays a song for every hitter comes up during the game. It is definitely unlike any crowd I have ever experienced while playing.
BC: How are the Giants perceived in the league? Do you have any rivals (can you compare to a rivalry in North America)?
SM: The Giants are considered by most to be the New York Yankees of Japan. We are probably the most popular team and have fans throughout Japan. A lot of visiting stadiums almost feel like a home game because we have so many fans there.
Our biggest rivals are the Hanshin Tigers who play out of Osaka. I have heard a lot of people compare it to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. When we play them the crowd is deafening and people don’t sit in their seats for the entire game.
BC: How do you feel about your decision to play in Japan now that you have been settled there for a few months?
SM: I was nervous at first before coming over here because I did not know what to expect. I am now extremely happy with my decision and really enjoy living and playing in Japan.
BC: Does the pre and post game routines in Japan and North America compare at all or are they different?
SM: They are extremely different. Before every game in Japan we have hitters and pitchers meetings to go over the opponent which does not happen before every game in the States. Our batting practice (BP) here is also a lot different as we have two hitters hitting at one time in two separate cages on the field with BP throwers throwing off-speed and harder with catchers catching BP. In the US there is only one guy hitting at a time with a BP thrower just lobbing balls as opposed to actually pitching.
BC: What do you miss most about home (food, TV etc.)?
SM: Food wise it is not much different than at home. Anything I can find at home I can find here. With the internet I am able to find TV shows or movies easily to watch. I do miss being able to pick up the phone and call friends and family and I was not able to bring my dog over which has been hard.
Note: As of July 8th, Mathieson holds a 2-0 record with 4 saves and 1.45 ERA working out of the Giants bullpen.
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