Those four days would have made Perseus cringe. They’d included an extra-inning night game, the patented – dreaded – six-hour Japanese practice, and a road doubleheader. What little was left of me as I hobbled off our home field in Kochi, Japan, following batting practice of the fourth day was wholly haggard and half asleep. But the fun was just getting started: We had yet another day-night doubleheader.



For those unfamiliar with Shikoku Island in Japan: It rains. A lot. And with the first half of the 2017 season winding down, all of those rain-canceled and shortened games had to be accounted for, much to the chagrin of myself and the other Gai-Jin (foreigners) on the team.



My Japanese teammates didn’t seem to mind, but that did not surprise me. Up to that point in the season, they had displayed an ability to summon energy previously unthinkable to mere grinders like me. Eighteen innings of baseball after full batting practice sessions barely...