After signing with the Reds, Shogo Akiyama excites local Japanese baseball fans

One of the main reasons why Shogo Akiyama was drawn to the Cincinnati Reds was the opportunity to become the franchise’s first Japanese-born player.

He wanted to build his own path in the Major Leagues and he liked the challenge of adjusting to a new country. The Reds are the only MLB team to never have a Japanese player on their active roster.

So far, it appears to be a smooth adjustment to a new culture. He had lunch Tuesday at Skyline Chili, enjoying a 5-way while his two kids ate Coneys. He had an Italian dinner after arriving from Japan and he had a steak dinner Monday after he signed his three-year, $21 million contract.

“He’s learning English as well. He likes to try things,” said Kaz Konuma, a Cincinnati resident who has shown Akiyama and his family around town this week. They drove through Mt. Adams, Over-the-Rhine, near the University of Cincinnati’s campus and other areas.

"Until (Monday) night when he signed the contract, he was not thinking about other things," Konuma said. "He was anxious about his goal and worried about if this happens or that. ... (Tuesday) was the only day he could just think about now, contract is done, I can think of possibly living in town with family or by himself. He’s taking it one step at a time so to speak. That’s the attitude he has."

There are expected to be about 20 reporters from 11 Japanese news outlets at Akiyama’s introductory press conference Wednesday morning.

“I think many Japanese companies around town will purchase season tickets to cheer him on,” Konuma said. “They eventually will be there to support him. This is huge to the local Japanese community as well.”

There were seven Japanese-born players who played in at least one MLB game last season, but only two position players: Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki, who retired after playing two games in Japan with the Seattle Mariners.

Konuma, who has lived in the U.S. for about 28 years after living in Japan, went to Reds games when they were playing against Japanese players. He likes watching Chicago Cubs starter Yu Darvish pitch and he’s had the chance to see pitchers Kenta Maeda (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Masahiro Tanaka (New York Yankees) at Great American Ball Park.

He plans to buy season tickets for next season to watch Akiyama as often as he can.

“If he’s batting every game, I will be there,” Konuma said, laughing.

Pitcher Hideo Nomo was the first Japanese player to play in the Major Leagues in 30 years when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. He won the National League Rookie of the Year and helped pave the way for other Japanese players.

“That was just when I came to the U.S. to study in the PhD program,” said Dr. Mikiko Hirayama, an associate professor of Japanese art history and director of Asian studies at the University of Cincinnati. “I related to Nomo so much personally because he was coming from a foreign country, trying to prove himself in this huge world of American baseball. I really related to him and he was very successful.”

Hirayama, who studied at the University of Pittsburgh, remembers going to a Pirates game to watch Nomo pitch with other Japanese and international students. Akiyama could have a similar effect on local international students.

“It’s not a very dynamic (Japanese) community to be honest with you,” Hirayama said of Cincinnati. “A lot of people are businessmen and they usually work with P&G or any other Japanese company or one of the subsidiaries with Toyota. They are only here for maybe for five years and then they go back. There isn’t much continuity.

“But I think from having a major person like him, a baseball player who signed with the Reds, he would really bring the Japanese community together. I can totally imagine the Japan American Society doing a group viewing of the Reds game when he’s here.”

Akiyama isn’t as popular as Ichiro, Ohtani or Tanaka when they began their MLB careers, but Akiyama was a five-time Japanese All-Star. He represented Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and played against Major League players in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. He was selected to play in an Olympic qualifying tournament in November, but he fractured a toe in his right foot when he was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game.

A congratulatory Tweet from Akiyama’s former team, the Seibu Lions, about his signing received more than 3,000 retweets and 11,000 favorites in 14 hours.

“When (Shohei) Ohtani was in town, they were driving up to the ballpark to see Ohtani,” Konuma said. “I’m pretty sure lots of the Asian population goes to the ballpark this coming season and I’m pretty excited about that too. I’m suspecting the Reds might be surprised to see their ticket booth. That’s what I’m hoping for with Akiyama.”