Compton Youth Academy invites Japanese All-Star team for a game
The Major League Baseball (MLB) Youth Academy in Compton recently got a lot of attention when the Japan All Star team came over to play against the young American players. The two sides met in a series of matches held by the academy and the young ball stars
enjoyed the occasion, as some exciting baseball was played around the field. The academy has done a lot for the locals in the vicinity. Matches have been held all around the year, and youths from all walks of life come over to learn new things through the
initiative.
The academy has hosted numerous baseball tournaments between schools, and this year marks the fifth time they have hosted the Japanese team. The youth team from Compton faced off against the Koshien High School All-Star team in a three-game series over two
days. Former director of the Urban Youth Academy, Darrell Miller, was excited to see the two sides compete. Miller, who is now head of the whole operation in the country, was present at the occasion.
Games that were scheduled for the past weekend were cancelled due to rain showers. Miller highlighted the surprising element in the events that followed. He remarked that baseball was the only language the two teams spoke. The two sides combined their efforts
to make the field ready for play.
"Both teams went out and knew what to do to get the field ready to play," said Miller. "The Japanese and American players actually came out and helped drain the field so we could play. That's that international baseball language - everyone kinetically knew
what to do, without communicating. They all did their job so we can play today, and that's truly amazing that the game is truly universal now."
Takashi Saito, who recently joined the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year deal, was present to deliver the first ceremonial pitch but he wasn’t the only one there. Shigetoshi Hasegawa, who played for the Florida Marlins and the Los Angeles Angels was also in
attendance.
"They should come all the time," said Hasegawa. "When I was in college, I experienced something like this, and that was a good experience. We need to do more things like this for the players to learn more about the different cultures. Japanese baseball is
a little more defence, and the American baseball is more focused on hitting, so it's good for each team to know how they play. It's going to be a good thing."
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