Beyond the tournament’s widespread popularity, the skill level impressed Mikolas. “They’re very, very refined at a young age,” he said of the Japanese high schoolers. “The way pitchers can manipulate the ball so well with a split-finger action is not something you see at an American high school. Also, it’s a very practice-oriented society, and the Japanese culture comes out in that those kids are so disciplined and they do the little things so, so well.”

Another cultural aspect revealed is the significance of baseball’s amateur roots in Japan. The professional game did not exist in 1915. Koshien Stadium was constructed as the tournament’s permanent home in 1924, 12 years before a pro league was established and the Osaka Tigers, a charter member, were housed there.

Now known as the Hanshin Tigers, they still have second-class status at their home park. Each August, they are essentially evicted, banished to an unthinkable stretch of away games known as “the death road” just as the pennant race heats up. This year, Hanshin had 25 straight games scheduled away from Koshien.