PCL1 Salt Lake Bees

Bees Pitchers Use Baseball to Travel the World

Published on June 22, 2014 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Salt Lake Bees News Release


The life of a professional baseball player requires constant movement. Whether it's joining a new team, or long travel on road trips, players are continually exploring the United States as part of their job. But for two current Bees pitchers, the game granted them a unique opening to step out of their comfort zones and explore a different part of the globe. And in doing so, granted them opportunities to not only grow as players, but as people.

Before their inaugural seasons in Salt Lake City, Bees pitchers Anthony Lerew and Justin Thomas made the decision to take their game overseas to Asia.

After bouncing around the Kansas City Royals' and Atlanta Braves' farm systems, Anthony Lerew decided to spend three seasons in Asia hurling for Japan's Fukuoaka SoftBank Hawks in 2011 and South Korea's Kia Tigers in 2012 and 2013. After starting last season with the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, Justin Thomas had an out in his contract and took the chance to spend one season in Japan playing for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

Before either could adjust to playing the game in a foreign land, they had to adjust to the culture shock and new way of life. Simple parts of the professional athlete's routine just weren't as simple any more. For instance, in Japan, Lerew just could not get the rules of the road.

"I kept going to the wrong side of the car. I don't know how many times I did that. You think you're going the right way [driving on the road], because it's two in the morning and you're just getting back from a road trip, and all of a sudden you see a pair of headlights coming at you. I caught myself on the wrong side of the road a couple of times," Lerew admitted.

For Thomas, he found that he couldn't joke around as he normally did with teammates, coaching staff and media like in the United States. His humor just did not translate.

"I'm pretty sarcastic and like to goof around a lot, but over there they're pretty serious. So sometimes my translator would try to interpret something that I would say in a joking manner and they would take it literally," he said. "So you really had to watch what you say; especially in the media, because they can't tell whether you're joking or not. It was definitely something I had to adjust to."

While the main task at hand was help their teams win, each player made certain to take full advantage of their new surroundings and to immerse themselves in their new environment.

"It was fun. I had my wife and daughter over there, so we were able to do a lot of fun things: go to [Tokyo] Disneyland, do sightseeing stuff, do stuff that we don't normally do in the United States. While we were over there we tried to do as much as we possibly could," said Thomas.

"I tried a lot of crazy food. In Korea I tried dog. It didn't taste bad," said Lerew. "They believe that if you eat it, it gives you power in the summertime. I tried it all: raw horse, raw cow and live octopuses."

As both players started to embrace their new lifestyle, they also noticed that they had to adapt to a different brand of baseball. They noted that stylistically and strategically the Asian game and American game are very different.

"It's a lot of small ball. They don't play for the home run kind of like we do here. It's a lot of moving runners over, bunting and stealing," Thomas said. "There's a lot more strategy involved as far as moving runners and in the pitches that you throw. The bunt plays are a lot more in depth. So from a pitcher's standpoint, you just have to be ready at any time."

Defensively, Lerew found himself in a very different situation than in American baseball leagues.

"Their defense isn't quite as strong over there as far as the arms go. They're really good at getting the ball into their glove and stuff, but their arm strength isn't as good. You have maybe one outfielder in the whole league that's maybe a middle to low guy in AAA or the major leagues here," he said. "So if there's a guy on second base and there's a hard hit ball to the outfield, chances are he's scoring from second. That was one thing that was tough."

Though the Asian style of baseball often contrasted from the American style, both players agreed their game had benefited because of the different approach.

"They're just trying to put the ball in play. It's difficult, but at the same time it's going to help me. It's definitely going to help me out to have experienced that style of play," said Lerew.

Both players were inspired and encouraged by the fervor and passion that both South Korea and Japan have for the sport of baseball. They certainly endorsed the notion that the love of baseball transcends American borders, and that the game is truly beloved worldwide.

"They're die hard fans over there," said Lerew. "I was up with the Braves in 2005 when they won the pennant, and I would say every game is as loud or louder than that [in Korea and Japan]. That's the cool thing about being over there, especially playing for one of the better teams, everybody comes out to support."

"Over there it's just ongoing constant noise, whether they're singing songs, or banging sticks," said Thomas. It's very comparable to the big leagues here. I'd say they get 25-30,000 fans a game. The stadiums are definitely full."

After their stints in Asia, both players have tried new things and have had experiences that have given them a worldly perspective, as baseball players and as people. From driving on the other side of the road, to profiting from a different style of the sport, to trying bizarre foods, the foreign experience was rich in a multitude of ways for Lerew and Thomas. Lerew credits baseball for opening that door.

"That's what was cool about going over there: getting to do all the stuff you'd never do or do the stuff you never thought you'd do," he said. "You get to experience stuff you'd never do unless you were in baseball."

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 22, 2014


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