The newness was overwhelming at first.
Dustin Molleken sat in his three-bedroom condo in downtown Sapporo, Hokkaido, just a couple of days after he arrived in Japan to play baseball for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and doubted his decision to move there. Nothing was familiar to him - the language, the people, everything. As he soon found out, even the game he has played for years was slightly different than what he was used to in America. His allergy to shellfish didn't help matters, either.
"After the first couple of days there, I wasn't sure if that was going to be the right place for me," he explained. "It took me a while to get used to everything over there. Once I got settled in, it was a great time for me. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I loved it."
And that's not because he perfected the art of eating with chopsticks. Molleken enjoyed a solid season with the Fighters, became somewhat of a local celebrity and carved his name into the Canadian and Japanese baseball history books during his four months with the team.
The 28-year-old Molleken became the first Canadian to appear in a Japan Series championship game - the Japanese version of the World Series. Molleken's Fighters lost the series to the Yomiuri Giants, but the experience of competing at the professional level was unforgettable.
"There was about 50,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome (home of the Giants) and they're all singing and chanting, stomping their feet for the entire game," Molleken said. "I was sitting in the bullpen, which is underneath the stands, and I could feel the building shake and vibrate. The atmosphere in there was like nothing I had ever seen."
And then Molleken, a relief pitcher, got the call from his manager in the dugout that he would replace the Fighters' starter in Game 1 of the series. And when Molleken trotted to the mound in the fifth inning, that's when history was made.
"I had no idea I was the first Canadian to do that," he said. "I didn't know until the next day when someone told me. It's such a special honour. It was a proud moment."
Molleken also pitched in Game 5 of the series.
Overall, Molleken appeared in 23 games for the Fighters. He posted a 2-1 record with a 3.27 earned-run average. He struck out 18 batters in 22 innings.
The Japanese style was also educational for Mollek-en, who had spent the past seven seasons in the minor leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates' and Colorado Rockies' affiliates. Pitching in Japan, Molleken felt, made him a smarter pitcher.
"It wasn't just about getting the ball, checking the runner at first and then making your pitch," he said. "They like to run all the time, so you really have to slow the game down when you're on the mound. You check the runner, then you check him again and again before you pitch.
"And they like to hit everything to the opposite field, so pitching on the outside corner doesn't work the way it did over here."
Molleken's transition was made easier thanks to the full-time translator that was assigned to him every day. Standing 6-foot-4 and at 230 pounds, Molleken was easy to spot in a crowd in Japan. That made him a sure target to baseball fans.
"The people were so nice and friendly all the time," he said. "They would see me after a game or on the street and they'd come up and smile ... they always want to touch you by grabbing your hand or your arm, patting you on the back. They were such great people to be around."
Molleken's contract with the Fighters expires at the end of the November. He said three Japanese teams have already expressed an interest in signing him for the 2013 season, so he expects to return there in February for spring training.
cslater@leaderpost.com
Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F275/~3/G2QCDfzATF4/story.html
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