Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

MLB All-Stars arrive in Tokyo: Japan's capital, economic hub and Olympic host city

MLB All-Stars head to Japan's capital: Tokyo

By Mike Bertha

Yasiel Puig and the MLB All-Stars defeated the Hanshin Tigers/Yomiuri Giants, 8-7, in an exhibition game on Tuesday and fell to the Japan national team, 2-0, in the Japan All-Star Series opener on Wednesday before taking their talents to Tokyo for Game 2.

Completely rebuilt twice in the last 100 years (once after the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 and again after World War II), Tokyo is Japan's capital city and economic hub. A 2014 U.N. estimate listed the Tokyo metropolitan area as the highest-populated in the world, with nearly 38 million residents (12 million more than the next city on the list).

Tokyo serves as the headquarters for 43 of the companies that make up the 2014 Fortune 500 list, making it second only to Beijing's 51 in that regard. 

As far as baseball is concerned, Tokyo is home to NPB's Yomiuri Giants, a franchise named for the MLB franchise of the same name. A former pitcher-turned-corner-outfielder named Lefty O'Doul batted .398 and notched an NL-record 254 hits for the 1929 Phillies, but is largely remembered as a member of the Giants (and for naming the Yomiuri club after the MLB franchise).

O'Doul was inducted into the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 for his innumerable contributions to spreading the popularity of the sport in the region.

He served as a good-will ambassador of sorts after the conclusion of World War II, making dozens of trips to Japan. General Douglas MacArthur specifically noted the importance of these trips:

"All the diplomats together would not have been able to do what he did," MacArthur wrote in his memoirs. "It was the greatest piece of diplomacy ever."

While Yomiuri Giant Shinnosuke Abe homered twice in the same inning during the 2013 WBC and former Giant Sadaharu Oh holds the world career home run record with 868 lifetime dingers, the Giant you're probably most familiar with is an outfielder named Hideki Matsui:

Matsui batted .304 over 10 seasons for the Yomiuri Giants, leading them to three Japan Series titles and making nine consecutive All-Star apperances before turning down the largest contract in NPB history to take a gig with some American team called the Yankees. Matsui went on to bat .282 over 10 seasons in MLB, including two All-Star appearances. He also took home the 2009 World Series MVP Award thanks to an 8-for-13 performance in three starts against the Phillies, including a six-RBI performance in the deciding Game 6.

Tokyo's sporting history is rich beyond baseball. It served as the host of the 1964 Summer Olympics, where Billy Mills stunned the world to become the first (and still only) American to win the Men's 10,000 meter event. Cary Grant's film Walk, Don't Run was filmed in Tokyo during the '64 Games and includes a message of thanks to the Japanese Government and Tokyo Police.

Tokyo will again serve as the Olympic host city in 2020, when it's set to host the Summer Games.

Grant's movie obviously isn't the only film to have Tokyo ties as the James Bond film You Only Live Twice was shot in the city. More recently, parts of Inception and Kill Bill were filmed in Japan's capital. Additionally, Tokyo has been destroyed on the big screen in 12 separate adaptations of Godzilla.

Tokyo has a rich history as the cultural, economic and political center of Japan. It's home to the Imperial Palace. Also, the cherry blossoms don't exactly detract from its appeal:

CherryBlossoms

The MLB All-Stars will play the Japan national team at the Tokyo Dome at 4 a.m. ET on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. MLB Network will broadcast all seven games of the Japan All-Star Series and MLB.TV subscribers will be able to watch every game as well.