Former Seibu Lions pitcher Kyle Martin sent a direct message in response to an interview request on Twitter, finishing it with, “Is it about my friend, Akiyama?”



Best friend, that is.



And yes, yes it was.



Martin, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, pitched in 70 games over the last two years for the Lions and in every one of them, Shogo Akiyama was in center field. Akiyama, 31, who signed with the Reds last week, became Martin’s best friend in one of those games in 2018.



Their friendship was cemented on Sept. 4, 2018, when Brandon Laird crushed Martin’s 94 mph fastball to dead center field at Starffin Stadium in Asahikawa, Japan. Martin knew off the bat that it was trouble, especially against Laird, who led the Pacific League in homers in 2016. But he also knew he had Akiyama.



“The ball had no business being caught and he was standing there, ready to jump the fence and catch it,” Martin said.



Martin,...