Just between friends
CRANBERRY TWP — Shinsuke Ito had to have been smiling down on Graham Park.
It was the Japan native's idea to begin the Friendship Series, which matches PONY baseball teams from Japan against those from the United States, in 1974. His motive was to use the sport to help players from both countries better understand the other's culture and customs. The event is held every year, with the countries alternating as host.
Ito died in 2008.
Two games of the 2015 edition of the Friendship Series were played Monday at Graham Park as a doubleheader between a team from Japan and one from the Cranberry Township Athletic Association.
“Baseball is a sport in which opposing players can go as hard as they can during a game, then sit down next to each other and eat dinner. You can't do that in football,” said Friendship Series host John Evans. “Some players may remember a play during the game, but for most, the first memory that they will take away will not deal directly with baseball.”
The Japanese team, which includes 19 players from all over the island country, took a 17-hour plane flight and arrived in Pittsburgh last Thursday. It played a few games in Washington, Pa., before heading north to face Cranberry. The squad will fly to Los Angeles today to wrap up its trip. In all, the team will play 13 games over an 11-day span.
Before Monday's first game, players from both teams exchanged gifts near home plate. The Japanese received Cranberry Township baseball caps while Cranberry's players were given baseball-themed teddy bears made in Japan.
“The biggest thing we are hoping our players take from this opportunity has nothing to do with baseball skill,” said Masatomo Inoue, president of PONY Baseball in Japan. “We want them to study each other's mind, culture and discipline and form friendships out of that.”
Cranberry was not originally on the Japanese team's itinerary. But after a date with another Pittsburgh-area team fell through, it opened the door for Rich Vozel's team, which knew about its international guests for the last week.
“Our season is over and we do have a couple of players on vacation,” said Vozel, who is also CTAA Baseball's vice president. “But we still have 14 players here today. This could be the only time these kids face a team from another country. It's a great opportunity for the players to interact and meet other people, all while doing something they love to do — play baseball.”
Inoue used the stop in Cranberry to check out the park's Miracle League field, which is used to provide children and adults with special needs a chance to play baseball on a specially designed rubber surface.
“That field is great,” said Inoue. “We have nothing like that in our country and I'm taking some ideas home with me.”
Following the first game, both teams' players posed for a group picture, then enjoyed snacks from the concession stand.
“This is the first time in the United States for most of the team,” said the Japanese team's head coach Takeharu Nasu through Inoue, who served as interpreter. “We are trying to make a good impression. Everybody has been nice to us.
“The game is finished and everybody is together,” he added, pointing to a table at the concession stand, which was lined with players from both teams. “This is why the Friendship Series exists.”
Instead of just another game, Monday's event offered Cranberry's players lasting memories.
“The Japanese players are very fast and they play a lot of small ball,” said Mike Morrone, a pitcher/outfielder for Cranberry. “They have a lot of pre-game rituals. It was cool to play against them.”
